Summary
Electronic Arts has finally revealed some critical details about the upcoming sports titleNHL 25, including the real-life stars that will adorn the cover, along with some key details about the mechanics and the game’s release date. According toEA,NHL 25will launch on October 4 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, and will bring with it a huge revamp of the usual series staples.
EASports titles have been a hugely successful cash cowfor the company for a long time, having branched out from football with the classicMadden NFLseries and expanding into sports like UFC fighting and, of course, hockey. While each new entry typically just brings an updated roster of playable athletes, visual improvements, and slight tweaks to the game’s mechanics,NHL 25will seemingly revamp the series when it launches.
In a post on Twitter showing NHL stars and siblings Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks, who will seemingly appear on the game’s cover, EA shared a link to the webpage forNHL 25and confirmed the release date of October 4. Among them are the “Ice-Q” system, which is a recent technology thatpromises improved player AI in EA Sports titlesfor more realistic matches, along with significant overhauls to the game’s graphics.
EA Confirms New Details for NHL 25
The website also reveals the newly-improved Grudge Match system, which tracks the real-life competitive history of various NHL teams in order to make for more lifelike matches between them. It is unclear as of now exactly how the AI inNHL 25might improve, but given the company’s past issues with player AI in series likethe now-defunct EA SportsFIFAtitles,it seems to be a response to previous fan complaints.
AI is not the only way NPCs are set to improve, asNHL 25is also promising massive upgrades to player skeletons and various aspects of character models, such as hair and skin details, which will seemingly be much more realistic. To achieve this, EA is reportedly utilizing SAPIEN, the same character model technology used inthe current-gen exclusiveMadden NFL 24that allowed for much more highly detailed player models and animations.
In general, EA is hailingNHL 25as a huge revamp for the series, as the game’s Franchise mode, which is effectively its main story mode, will also get a huge update. Players will have to wait until the game launches on October 4 to find out if these improvements live up to the hype, but fans who pre-order can get some extra rewards and even early access depending on the edition they choose.
