a resource website for voice and dialogue specialists working in game development and interactive media
GDC 2026 Panel
Dialogue Design Examples
Battlefield I
Battlefield I's approach to performance emphasized physical effort, use of native languages, and had a unique approach to mic use and placement to capture a "head voice" sound for first person barks. Combined with an approach to mastering which preserves natural dynamics gives the dialogue design of the game a gritty cinematic realism which feels like it was recorded on location and completely erases any evidence it was ever recorded in a VO booth.
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3's sheer scale of player agency and branching is an achievement in managing complexity on it's own, but that they did this with extensive use of performance capture is an incredible accomplishment. This game's dialogues are a testament to what is possible when you bring physicality not only to animations but to vocal performances as well.
Despelote
The VO recording (and possible sourcing) does such a great job of fitting the visuals of the game but also the feeling of nostalgia Despolete tries to impart. Everything feels like a memory from the early 90s and is super tactile. The performances are impactful not due to the content but because they perfectly hit those tones for addressing a child (theplayer) - admonishing, comforting, caring, playful.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
There's no actual VO during gameplay, all storytelling is done via these points of starlight wormholes that envelope the player. The scenes were shot as a play on a soundstage with mics on talent and boomed - with boom being the primary source you get to keep all that beautiful panning and proximity. There's no center channel VO that stays with you as you walk around, no individual stems. It's a very old school cinematic approach that worked well for the style of the title.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy features one of the best dialogue choice systems I've seen in games, allowing the player to seamlessly interject in conversations between other characters during exploration gameplay with flawless timing and pacing. There's also enormous vocal variety amongst the various aliens both through performances and vocal FX processing as well as constructed languages.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Unique amongst games for it's use of binaural recording of VO which was used to depict psychosis for the protagonist, which presented the audio team with a variety of interesting challenges to overcome. Details of the VO production for this project can be found in Daniele Galante's presentation from GDC 2025 "The Voices of 'Senua's Saga: Hellblade II" which can be viewed in the GDC Vault.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Casting, recording and mastering does an incredible job of capturing both the sound and spirit of the original films. The attention to detail with non verbal content such as Indiana Jones' efforts while traversing or NPC pain/death during melee combat plays a huge part in achieving the matinee action style of the franchise.
Left 4 Dead 2
L4D2 set some solid standards for barks and contextual dialogue in games, including "performed variation" where you plan to use several performances of the same line which helps prevent audio fatigue due to repeating VO.
Not A Hero
The approach to performance, recording and mastering on Not A Hero gives it a distinctive grainy DIY aesthetic which fits the chaotic, pixel art, side scrolling shooter like a glove!
SSX
SSX doesn't have a lot of dialogue but it punches well above its weight, using a fake radio station with a host who calls out your most recent wins and losses during loading screens and gameplay between events. It does an incredible job of making you feel like you're this snowboarding superstar that everyone is talking about. Not a lot of dialogue but very impactful and no repetition.
![UNCHARTED 4 Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME [4K 60FPS PS5] - No Commentary](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d1fFEP9OFPI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uncharted 4
The Uncharted series represents an excellent example of cinematic storytelling that bounces seamlessly from cinematics to gameplay. The timing and pacing of the dialogue is flawless with numerous storytelling mix decisions around set pieces, and everything has a consistent tone, believability and quality.