EA Sports FC 26 uses the AI-generated voice of commentator Guy Mowbray to help with pronouncing the names of some of the thousands of footballers now in the video game.
In an interview with Mowbray by BBC Sport, the story covered the monotony in not only pronouncing the names of more than 20,000 players within the game, but also the need to do it multiple times to represent the acts on the field – from taking control of the ball, to blasting one in the top bins from 30 yards out.
The story reveals that Mowbray gets a helping hand with “part of that process involving AI replicating his voice with his permission for some of the names.”
By our reckoning that’s not something that’s been revealed in the public realm before, but EA Sports has confirmed it. The gaming giant says the use of AI is regarded as a “collaboration” rather than a replacement for the Match of the Day mainstay.
In a statement to the Beeb, EA said: “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. But when it comes to commentary and content, it’s always a collaboration with our talent – not a replacement.”
It’s probably something Mowbray is thankful for, although we do wonder whether it has affected what he gets paid for the project. The report doesn’t say. He also goes into greater detail on the work that goes into coming up with the script for games, which includes multiple ways of phrasing the same in-game situation.
Mowbray said: “Say there is a scenario where a team is crossing the halfway line but we don’t know if it will develop into anything,” he said. “So, I might say ‘oh, a promising attack, what could they do from here’ as a line of commentary to explain that – but we need 10 different ways of doing that, so I will have to think of another nine ways of saying it.
“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 [co-commentator Smith- on co-comms – she will need 10 different ways of adding insight or colour too.”
