EA Used AI to Clone John Buccigross's Voice in NHL 27—and He's Cool With It

ESPN's John Buccigross reveals EA Sports used generative AI to replicate his voice in NHL 27, with mixed results but his approval. EA's AI push continues amid cost-cutting concerns.

Ever wondered if the voice in your favorite sports game is actually human? Well, for NHL 27, the answer is a bit more complicated. John Buccigross, the ESPN personality who joined the in-game broadcast booth this year, just revealed that EA Sports used generative AI to mimic his voice for certain lines. And guess what? He didn't know until after the game shipped.

On the Chirping Zebras podcast, Buccigross spilled the beans. He said EA played some AI-generated lines for him, and honestly, they were "pretty good." But it wasn't all smooth skating. There were moments when the AI totally whiffed. Like, it once said, "And the crowd gets out of the chairs." In hockey, nobody says "chairs"—it's "seats." So a human had to step in and fix those blunders.

Despite the hiccups, Buccigross is surprisingly upbeat about the whole thing. "If it means less work and the same check, I'll take it," he joked. Can't argue with that logic, right? It's a pragmatic take from a guy who's been in the biz for years.

This isn't EA's first rodeo with AI voice cloning. They've already used generative AI in their College Football series, and they've said the game wouldn't have been as good without it. EA CEO Andrew Wilson is a huge proponent of AI, seeing it as a way to speed up game development and cut costs—even if it means job losses in the short term. He's mentioned that 60% of their development processes could benefit from AI, and building a stadium that used to take six months now takes just six weeks. In the future, maybe six days?

EA's goal is to make development 30% more efficient, all in the name of "getting to the fun faster." But here's the elephant in the room: EA was recently sold to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and that deal came with a mountain of debt. So, everyone's bracing for mass layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures. No official restructuring plan yet, but the writing's on the wall.

So, what's your take? Are you cool with AI voices in your games if it means faster releases and maybe lower prices? Or does it feel a bit... off? Let us know in the comments!