To the surprise of nobody, it appears generative AI may have made its way into NHL 27.
John Buccigross, the new play-by-play announcer for NHL 27, confirmed in a recent appearance on the Chirping Zebras Podcast that Electronic Arts (EA) used artificial intelligence (AI) in some of the development for the commentary in NHL 27.
On Episode #122 of the Chirping Zebras Podcast, John Buccigross spoke about the process behind doing play-by-play for NHL 27. He confirmed that EA used AI to generate commentary in his voice without him recording the lines. Buccigross stated that, “They also are using some AI stuff now. They played me some stuff back in my voice. I said, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good.’ If it means less work and the same check, I’ll take it.” Buccigross’ full statement can be heard in the embedded video above. Skip to 59:45 for the NHL 27 stuff.
Anecdotally, the commentary was one of the points I keyed in on with my NHL 27 review:
The big problem with the atmosphere and broadcast experience comes down to commentary. In the NHL 27 gameplay presentation and deep dive, EA talked about how they “…wanted to set a whole new broadcast standard.” Enter John Buccigross from ESPN as the play-by-play guy, and Darren Pang on color commentary. According to EA, “Buccigross brings a direct, high emotion, play-by-play style that knows exactly when to let the action breathe, and when to turn up the heat.” Perhaps that’s the case in his actual play-by-play duties, but it certainly hasn’t translated well to NHL 27, and Darren Pang brings zero energy to the color commentary role.”
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NHL 27 review: Pangful to watch
If generative AI did make it into the final commentary that we’re hearing in NHL 27, it calls into question EA’s entire marketing pitch regarding Buccigross. How can you credit Buccigross with knowing when to let the action breathe and when to turn up the heat if you’re generating commentary and he’s not actually speaking all the lines?
What makes this sting even more is that NHL 27 is one of the most aggressively monetized NHL games we’ve ever seen, if not the worst in that regard. Pay-to-win mechanics are no longer just a thing in Hockey Ultimate Team; they’ve made their way to World of Chel. In addition to paying full price for what some are calling a glorified roster update, players are being presented with ways to spend money to get an edge in more online modes. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you hear Buccigross talk about less work and the same check.
I’ve reached out to EA for comment and will update this story if I get a response.
Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.
Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.