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EA Used AI to Generate NHL 27 Commentator's Voice, Broadcaster Says
John Buccigross revealed that some of his commentary lines in NHL 27 were AI-generated from samples of his voice, with no prior public disclosure of this in EA's promotional materials.
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Known hockey commentator John Buccigross admitted on a podcast that Electronic Arts used artificial intelligence to generate part of his commentary lines in the latest installment of the NHL series. The company did not disclose this in the game's official promotional materials, with the title going on sale this week.
Buccigross, a longtime ESPN commentator, has lent his voice to EA Sports NHL commentators for years. This time, as he recounted in conversation with the hosts of the Chirping Zebras podcast, the studio played him samples generated from his voice instead of asking him to record additional lines in the studio.
They're also using some AI stuff now. They played me a sample of my voice. I said, wow, that's really good. If it means less work for the same check, I'll take it. - John Buccigross, commentator, ESPN
What EA actually did
According to Buccigross's account, EA did not record him directly for all the lines that ultimately made it into the game. Some of the commentary lines were produced as a voice synthesis trained on his earlier recordings, and the finished material was only played back to him afterward so he could judge its quality.
The commentator described his reaction as pleasant surprise at the sound quality, while noting that the AI still makes mistakes in some segments. He did not specify how much of the game's audio track was produced this way, nor whether the same applies to the second commentator, Darren Pang.
No disclosure in promotional materials
NHL 27 is not coming to Steam, where other EA titles this year, College Football, Madden, and FC, carry mandatory labels on their product pages disclosing the use of generative AI in production. The absence of that platform means NHL 27 isn't subject to the same disclosure requirement.
The game's official advertising, which heavily promoted the refreshed broadcast package featuring Buccigross and Pang as a key selling point of the new installment, made no mention that some of the commentary recordings were produced using voice synthesis.
Industry context
The case fits into a broader dispute over the use of AI voice cloning in the entertainment industry, where voice actors and unions have long demanded transparency and consent for the use of their voices in this type of production. Buccigross's own comment, that he's willing to accept less work for the same pay, contrasts with the tougher stance some in the acting community have taken against synthetic voices used without clear consent and compensation proportional to the scale of use.
The practice of labeling AI-generated games on Steam, introduced by Valve, was meant to increase transparency for players. The NHL 27 case shows, however, that the requirement doesn't cover every sales platform, leaving an information gap for games that are console-exclusive.
What it means for players and the industry
For players, this means some of the commentary lines they'll hear in NHL 27 may never have actually been spoken by Buccigross in a recording studio, but only generated from his voice. For sports game publishers, it's another sign that commentator voice synthesis is becoming a standard production tool, allowing them to cut down on costly recording sessions without giving up extensive, varied match commentary.
The case could also shape expectations for future contracts between commentators, voice actors, and game publishers, who will need to clearly define the scope of consent for using synthetic versions of a voice in the final product.
