EA’s Battlefield series has been a popular first-person shooter for over two decades now but the last video game in the series, Battlefield 2042, slowed down the franchise because of its poor reception. Undoubtedly, the most popular game in the series is 2016’s Battlefield 1 thanks to its World War 1 setting, a period not featured in the previous installments.
It was the authenticity that attracted gamers to Battlefield 1. From weapons to voice acting, everything was on point. In fact, the German voice actors for the game took things to the next level. The voice actors went through physical exertion to sound exactly like soldiers on the battlefield, providing players with a more authentic experience.
Battlefield 1 German voice actors did pushups before recording their voice-overs
Carsten Arnold, the director of German voice recordings for Battlefield 1, once explained how he wanted the voice actors to go through some sort of physical exertion before doing their voice-overs. He said (via YouTube),
Normally you say, ‘Good day, do you want to have a cup of coffee? Here is your text and please speak into this microphone,’ and in this case, we said, ‘Everybody down. Do 30 pushups please’ – We just wanted the people to go in directly with a physical exertion.
By doing this, voice actors were able to experience a tiny part of the exertion that soldiers feel on real battlefields, allowing them to record their voices with a bit of soreness.
The voice acting plays a key role in shaping a proper gaming experience. In 2021’s Battlefield 2042, the poor voice acting was a big problem that was pointed out by many players.
The voice actors carried heavy weights while recording
Arnold further explained that he asked the voice actors to carry heavy weights while recording their parts as it would make their recordings much more authentic. He said,
We have done shoots here and they had super heavy backpacks on or iron bars in their hands or stones – They [Voice Actors] really had to go to their limits instead of just pretending it.
Battlefield 1 was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in October 2016. Thanks to its exciting campaign and multiplayer, the game managed to become the best-selling retail game in the UK in its week of release and the top-selling game in the US in the month of its release. As for the next Battlefield title, it is expected to be released in 2025.
