Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray has been a staple voice in various football (soccer) games over the years. Having worked on the iconic BBC show for over 20 years, he's become one of the defining voices of the sport for a thousands.
But commentating real football game on live TV is very different to supplying voice lines for a video game franchise like EA Sports FC, and in a report from BBC Sport, it's been revealed that EA uses an AI replica of Mowbray's voice to do some of the work. With Mowbray's permission, of course.
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube842k
In the piece, Mowbray — whose first video game commentary can be heard on the UEFA Champions League Season 2001/2002 on PS2 — admits that doing voiceover for EA nowadays is a "never-ending job" as it "constantly needs updating" with new names joining the beautiful game constantly alongside additional game modes and new terms.
"Either recording or doing prep, it is part of my weekly routine - pretty much every week from November all the way through to the start of July", Mowbray says, meaning it takes up a huge chunk of the football season in the UK.
It's not just that Mowbray has to say hundreds of footballer names, however, more that he has to say each of them multiple different times in different styles, pitches, or tones, depending on where they might be on the pitch and what they're doing. With over 20,000 players in the FC, that's a huge ask. Which is where AI comes in, at least to help with some of the player names.
"AI has long been part of our development pipeline - from animation to gameplay systems - and continues to support our teams in making better, more responsive football experiences," EA tells the BBC, reiterating that the human touch is necessary for the experience: "...when it comes to commentary and content, it's always a collaboration with our talent - not a replacement."
Mowbray collaborates with EA on this, and advised that the commentary "has got to be at different levels depending where he is on the pitch, as I would do when commentating normally."
"It can't be scripted for me because it has got to be in my style and how I would say it in real life, so I have to think of those lines myself. It's the same for Sue [Smith] on co-comms — she will need 10 different ways of adding insight or colour too."
So it's a very in-depth process, but it's not clear whether EA uses AI for commentators other than Mowbray. We've reached out to EA for clarification on this.
Of course, there are a number of concerns about AI use around actors and voice actors in particular, with Mass Effect star Jennifer Hale speaking out about the issue back in 2024, and a number of strikes held by voice acting unions over the years.
How do you feel about the use of AI voicework in EA Sports FC? Let us know in the comments.