NHL 27 uses AI-generated voiceover, commentator John Buccigross confirms

EA Sports is using generative AI to produce voiceover lines for NHL 27's in-game commentators — and it was one of those commentators, ESPN's John Buccigross, who let it slip. Speaking on the Chirping Zebras podcast, Buccigross confirmed he'll appear in NHL 27 but that EA also used AI to generate additional lines in his voice alongside his real recordings.

Buccigross was broadly fine with the arrangement — "If that means less work but the same check, I'll take it" — but flagged that the process isn't flawless. He recalled an AI-generated line where his synthetic voice said "the crowd gets out of their chairs," when the correct broadcast term is "seats." The error had to be manually corrected, and Buccigross noted that some of the EA team members working on the audio are game developers first, not sports fans, so sports-specific vernacular can slip through the cracks. NHL 27 launches September 11, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Because the game isn't on Steam, it carries no generative AI disclosure label — unlike EA's College Football, Madden, and FC releases this year, which all display such notices on their Steam pages. IGN has contacted EA for comment on the scope of AI use in the game.

EA has been leaning into generative AI across its sports lineup in 2026, and NHL 27 is the latest example. The game itself — developed by EA Vancouver — received a 6/10 from IGN, which praised the core hockey feel but found little meaningful improvement over NHL 26. Game Informer's review echoed that sentiment, noting that while on-ice refinements like more intuitive passing, smarter goaltender behavior, and new team-specific playbooks add texture, the execution rarely lives up to the concept. All 32 NHL arenas have been rebuilt with distinct lighting, real jumbotron footage, and licensed goal songs, and the cover star this year is Macklin Celebrini. The broader identity crisis, both reviews suggest, is that NHL 27 is chasing the innovation of the series' peak years — NHL 11, NHL 14, NHL 19 — without quite getting there.

The AI voiceover revelation is likely to draw scrutiny given the gaming community's ongoing pushback against generative AI in games. Call of Duty faced significant backlash last year for AI-generated cosmetic items, and EA's expanding use of the technology across its sports titles is already a talking point heading into this release cycle. Whether EA clarifies the full scope of AI use in NHL 27 beyond voiceover remains to be seen.