EA uses AI to clone John Buccigross's voice for NHL 27 commentary
The upcoming hockey video game NHL 27 will feature AI-generated voice lines from its new commentator, per a report from IGN. ESPN personality John Buccigross revealed on a podcast that developer EA Sports used generative AI to clone his voice for in-game commentary.
Buccigross, who is part of the game's broadcast team, said developers played some of the AI-produced lines back for him. According to GameSpot, he found the results "pretty good" and joked that he was on board if it meant "less work and the same check."
He did share an anecdote about the AI's occasional slip-ups, however. The simulated voice once declared a crowd was getting out of their "chairs," which Buccigross had to correct to the proper sports term "seats." He noted that such errors require a human to manually fix them.
The use of AI is part of a broader push at EA, whose CEO has publicly championed the technology to speed up development. This year's editions of other EA Sports titles like Madden and College Football also carry disclaimers about using AI in their creation. NHL 27 is scheduled to arrive on Sony and Microsoft's latest consoles in September 2026.
