NHL 27 Is Out Today at $69.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, With a 32 Team Connected Franchise and Commentary That Is Partly AI

Hockey season starts early on consoles. NHL 27 unlocks worldwide today, September 11, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, at $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Deluxe Edition. If you bought Deluxe you have been playing since September 4, and EA Play members have had a 10 hour trial since the same day. San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is on the cover, and EA has not announced a PC or Switch 2 version.

We have followed EA's sports lineup closely this summer, from Madden NFL 27's launch to College Football 27's rough first outing on PC, and NHL 27 is the one that changes the most under the hood. It is also the one shipping with a genuine controversy, because part of its commentary is generated with AI.

Video: EA SPORTS NHL on YouTube

Connected Franchise and 32 arenas that finally feel different

The headline mode is Connected Franchise, which the series has never had before. You create a league with friends, manage your roster, and play a full online season head to head with up to 32 human controlled teams. EA lists flexible scheduling, full roster management and commissioner tools, which is the same shape Madden players have enjoyed for years. For a series whose online offering has mostly meant Hockey Ultimate Team and World of Chel, a persistent league with real people running every front office is the feature people have been asking for the longest.

The other big change is presentation. All 32 NHL arenas have been rebuilt with their own atmosphere, including real world goal songs and pre game entrances, and the crowd system has been overhauled so buildings react differently depending on where you are playing. On the ice, every team now runs a unique playbook powered by EA's ICE-Q system and real NHL EDGE tracking data, so Colorado should not play like Boston. It is all wrapped in a new broadcast package and a new booth, with ESPN's John Buccigross on play by play and former goaltender Darren Pang alongside him.

The AI commentary question

That new booth is where the launch got complicated. On a podcast this week, Buccigross said EA is "using some AI stuff now" and that the studio played lines back to him in his own voice that he found convincing. EA then confirmed it. In the company's words, "with their full consent and active collaboration, we are using AI voice technology to expand on the 50+ recording sessions they have already completed." EA says the goal is more variety, faster reaction to league changes such as trades, and quicker incorporation of player feedback.

EA is not hiding it, and both announcers signed off on it, so this is not the hidden voice cloning scandal some of the early reaction implied. It is still a meaningful line to cross for a $69.99 sports game, and early reviews are split on how natural the result sounds. We would want to hear a full period of it before deciding, and we suspect a lot of players will feel the same way.

Our honest take: if you play franchise with a group of friends, Connected Franchise alone justifies the upgrade, and the arena work is the best presentation the series has had. If you play alone and mostly care about gameplay, the changes are real but subtler, and the EA Play trial is the sensible way to find out whether the new booth bothers you. As with everything EA has shipped since the company went private, we will be watching how quickly the post launch patches arrive.