Some commentary lines in EA Sports NHL 27 were reportedly produced with artificial intelligence assistance, according to remarks attributed to new play-by-play commentator John Buccigross. Neither EA’s official NHL 27 materials nor the game’s official PlayStation listing confirms that claim.
The report comes from Video Games Chronicle, which cited Buccigross’ appearance on episode 122 of the Chirping Zebras Podcast. A transcript of the episode includes Buccigross saying that EA played him material “back in my voice” and that “some AI stuff” was being used.
Buccigross also indicated that the resulting lines need to be reviewed. In the transcript, he warned that AI can get details wrong, particularly terms and conventions that matter in sports commentary. The available material does not establish how many lines were involved, whether they reached the final game, or which situations, languages or platforms they cover.
That distinction matters because EA’s official announcement confirms Buccigross and Darren Pang as NHL 27’s new commentary team and describes their involvement as a collaboration focused on authenticity. The publisher says the pair helped challenge the development team and shape a presentation closer to what hockey fans watch in a real broadcast, but the page does not specifically mention AI-generated or AI-assisted dialogue.
EA’s official presentation deep dive likewise promotes a rebuilt broadcast package and new commentary team. NHL 27 is scheduled to launch worldwide on September 11 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, while the PlayStation Store lists the Standard Edition for PS5.
The report therefore points to a potentially important change in how at least some commentary content was produced, but it does not show that AI replaces Buccigross, reproduces his entire voice, affects every line or applies equally across platforms and languages. Shacknews also reported the claim and said it had contacted EA for comment. The scope of the technology, the contractual approval for any voice reproduction and whether similar tools were used for Pang remain unconfirmed.
