I'm getting 15 vibes from this so, Goose, I wouldn't recommend that; $500 American dollerydoos is too much for any one game, let alone NHL lol.
Community ManagerWe're not starting over with 25 as we did with 15. That game obviously didn't have the features we have now as a lot has been added over the last 10 years. I of course can't go into specifics for 25, but this is not the same situation as 15.
Yes, but I do agree with TTZ_Dipsy and others that have mentioned the NHL 15 "vibe". For whatever reason EA seems to be playing everything regarding NHL 25 very close to the vest. No beta. The gameplay reveal was very short and light on details. The presentation reveal even more so. We're nine days out from the ( very expensive ) early access release and we still don't have any hard dates on when the franchise or HUT info is coming.
It gives the impression that the dev team is struggling to get everything ready for the release date and can't commit to any information because they're not sure what's actually going to be ready. The only other option is that this is a deliberate marketing strategy. If that's the case, it's a failed approach.
Agreed 100% on everything. Would have made everyone a lot more comfortable if information was being put out more regualarly and in more detail. This would have ultimately led to higher pre-order sales, I have worked in sales/marketing for nearly 20 years, and was a manager in Sales for a couple of those years. I know sales, I know marketing, and advertising campaigns, this has to be some of the worst marketing. Hoping that it is not a sign of what the game holds for us, as I enjoy playing NHL and tweaking rosters.
How can we be sure? Y'all haven't shown us anything regarding which modes are/aren't going to be in the game. For all we know, Franchise mode is unchanged from last year, Be a Pro mode has been deleted, Online Versus has been deleted, practice modes are nixed, etc etc.
You guys haven't communicated with us beyond grudge match intros, vision control, reactive movements (lol), and a dubious "improvement" to the AI that is undercut within its promotional video.
Community ManagerWe said Franchise Mode was revamped. I can't comment on anything else since it hasn't been announced. We'll have to wait and see what you all think about what's coming.
If the release info timing is to be believed, then Thursdays seem to be the info drop day, so today would be when we are to find out about Franchise Mode changes. The problem has been with the lack of information being released, the lack of videos on those changes, and that there was absolutely no Beta to showcase the game, nor to work out the final kinks in the game prior to launch. This has driven down excitement, and created a lack of confidence in anything related to the game. This is the issue with keeping information so close to the chest, when you are literally 8 days away from launch. People get annoyed with the lack of transparency/communication, which is not you're fault we realize, but it is EAs fault and is the worst marketing strategy that I have seen in any games. I have put many hours into game streaming across various games over the years, as have my kids, and I have never had so little information about a game that is being launched in 8 days. That is where the frustration has come in. Lack of information sharing/videos for your game prior to launch, screams of a lack of confidence in the game itself, and also screams of lack of meaningful changes. Now that the confidence has been lost, it is fully up to EA to regain that confidence from the consumer post-launch, which is not a good position for any gaming company to put themselves into. Perhaps the better option would be to not do a new game edition each year, but to carry the same game over for a few years and provide updates to graphics, rosters, and features for the 3 year period, allowing more time to be properly prepared when a new edition is released. Some of these updates, if major, could be done through a "Season's Pass" format, that many games are shifting to. Just a thought. Not intended to be an angry post be any means, so please don't read that tone in, simply explaining where people's frustrations are coming into play at this point.
