EA Sports Uses AI to Create NHL 26 Cover Art Amid Company-Wide AI Push

EA Sports Reveals AI-Generated NHL 26 Cover Art

Electronic Arts has disclosed that it used generative artificial intelligence tools to create the cover art for NHL 26's Deluxe Edition, marking a significant milestone in the gaming industry's adoption of AI for creative processes. The $100 edition features the Tkachuk hockey family - Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers, Brady Tkachuk of the Senators, and their legendary father Keith Tkachuk - positioned beneath bright lights on a hazy skating rink 1

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The revelation came through internal company materials reviewed by gaming publication Kotaku, which detailed a presentation led by Paul Marr, EA's long-time sports marketing head and current VP and executive creative director. The presentation outlined how the company employed AI tools including GPT and Comfy UI throughout the cover art's production process 1

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Technical Challenges Drive AI Implementation

EA faced two primary obstacles that led to the AI solution: Keith Tkachuk's current age and the unavailability of his professional hockey-playing sons during playoff season for conventional photoshoots. Traditional "old school" head swaps using Photoshop were deemed insufficient for the project's ambitious vision 1

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The company's approach involved training AI models using libraries of images and expressions for each athlete. Reference imagery spanning both present and past was utilized to create what the presentation termed "PRIME Keith," effectively de-aging the former NHL star. The AI was also employed to recreate Matthew and Brady Tkachuk's likenesses entirely, as they were completely unavailable for photography during the creation process 2

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Company-Wide AI Integration Strategy

This NHL 26 cover art project represents part of EA's broader artificial intelligence initiative following the company's $55 billion leveraged buyout involving Saudi Arabian investors. CEO Andrew Wilson has been vocal about the company's AI ambitions, telling investors during May earnings reports that EA views "AI as a powerful accelerator of creativity, innovation, and player connection" 1

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Wilson emphasized that EA teams are "investing in new workflows and capabilities to integrate AI to enhance how we build, scale and personalize experiences, from dynamic in-game worlds to delivering authentic athlete and team likenesses at incredible scale." The company has already implemented AI in other projects, including generating thousands of faces for the return of its College Football franchise 1

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Internal Guidelines and Employee Concerns

Despite the company's AI push, internal presentations reveal nuanced guidance about artificial intelligence implementation. Marr's presentation included key learnings encouraging employees to seek legal guidance and begin AI integration early, as models require substantial training time. However, the presentation also emphasized maintaining human oversight of creative processes 2

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"Use AI to extend your ambition. If you leave AI to its own devices, your work won't be exceptional," read one presentation slide, which included a screenshot criticizing Coca-Cola's recent AI-generated holiday advertisement as a "sloppy eyesore." This suggests EA's strategy focuses on AI tools working best when their involvement remains undetectable 1

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Employee reactions have been mixed, with some staff members expressing concerns to Business Insider about AI producing programming code with errors, generating unhelpful responses, or potentially threatening job security through workflow automation 1

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