Is the PC Community being Ignored By EA?
Every year the amount of people who want NHL on PC grows and every year its disappointment. Is the PC Community being Ignored By EA? as a person who moved fully to PC this year and as part of the PC ...
Forum Discussion
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
Community ManagerF1 is also huge. It's much more of a worldwide sport than hockey. Sure, hockey is played all over, but it doesn't carry the same popularity as F1. Maybe if Netflix did a documentary series on hockey, it'd gain more popularity like F1 did? Who knows. There is a big barrier of entry with hockey. It's a very expensive sport to even play. It doesn't have the same participation that a sport like Football (soccer) does where you just need a ball and a space big enough to kick it around in.
I'm not saying there is no demand. There's a very vocal minority of PC players that bring up this issue every year. There have been numerous petitions that receive dozens of responses. Hardly enough to justify a PC release. If there were the demand for a PC version, why do these petitions hardly get any action?
Look, people love to claim we're all about the money here. The reality is that it takes a lot of money to build and support a PC version. I know a lot of research has been done on this. If we could determine it was going to be as popular as people seem to think, it would be done. We're not the only game dev/publisher with the means to make a hockey PC game. If the market were there, we'd have one by now.
i live in US and Canada and hockey is huge here so. also the comparison for soccer and hockey isn't accurate. ive played soccer and hockey as a kid and made the WHLfor a minute in hockey. Soccer costed 500 to sign up yearly and 400 for equipment "Cleats, Shinguards, your team jerseys" hockey was the same sign up fee and like 800 bucks for equipment. saying it isn't popular is a bit shortsighted. if it wasn't popular there wouldn't be a game period. women's hockey has blown up too. also, the NHL draft has more players go undrafted yearly than mlb and NFL do. this has nothing to do with developing a game. if it was like i said. No EA NHL period. Yes, F1 is a global sport and had a major popularity spike thanks to Netflix but that doesn’t mean NHL lacks popularity. In Canada and the US NHL is one of the most followed and culturally embedded sports, and the EA NHL series is consistently a top-seller here. As for PC demand being a "vocal minority" the truth is, there’s been no serious effort to gauge that demand. Petitions don’t get visibility or EA support, and many fans have long given up because every year ends in silence or deflection. The conversation being “talked to death” isn’t proof of low interest—it’s proof of loyal fans constantly asking for clarity. You mention other studios not making hockey games as proof the market isn't there. But EA has held a tight grip on the market for decades, making it financially and strategically difficult for another major publisher to justify jumping in. That doesn’t mean there’s no audience it means EA has controlled the space. Finally, no one is saying it's cheap to do but if Madden, FC, and F1 can justify PC ports (despite having similar backend needs: anti-cheat, crossplay, patches, support), then NHL could too. Especially when EA already runs Frostbite based games on PC. We’re not asking for special treatment we’re asking to be acknowledged as a real player base. The growth of PC gaming since 2015 speaks for itself. All we want is transparency on whether EA ever intends to serve this audience.
- EA_Aljo
Yes, hockey is huge in Canada. It's also huge in certain states in the US. Regardless, it's still the 5th most popular sport in North America. And out of that crowd, there's just not a large enough PC playerbase to support a PC release.
Soccer doesn't require ice and expensive gear though. You can literally go to a park, field, beach, etc. and the only required piece of equipment is a ball. This is what helps make it such a popular sport. Anyone can play it. Hockey requires a whole different level of skill with expensive gear to support it. Not everyone is going to have an old pair of skates and a frozen pond in their backyard.
We don't have a tight grip on the market. We're not in control of the hockey video game space. There is no exclusivity. Anyone can make a hockey game. They can also acquire the licensing from various leagues. We don't have exclusive rights. There is nothing stopping anyone else from making hockey video games. It's a very big project to take on though. This is a tremendously difficult sport to replicate authentically in a video game. Then add in licensing and costs skyrocket. So, chances are good other companies have realized the return on this doesn't make the investment in making one worth it.
Madden, F1 and FC have the playerbase to support PC releases. Hopefully, NHL will have that someday. We recognize there is a PC player community. It's just not one that is currently big enough to support the investment into a native PC game.
