Request: Optional Display Setting Standard Hockey Player Models Instead of Skins
Hello EA NHL Team and Community!
I have been a loyal NHL customer since 1995 and have been playing the series for decades. My friends and I enjoy playing NHL 26, and our preferred mode by far is EASHL, where the core gameplay still delivers a strong and competitive hockey experience.
However, this is also where a growing issue becomes most noticeable.
In EASHL, the increasing number of exaggerated, unrealistic and deliberately over the top cosmetic skins hurts immersion. Instead of facing hockey players, you sometimes end up playing against turkeys, octopuses, moose or other cartoon style characters. Recently, skins like Jean Spectre have pushed this even further. The glowing effects, extreme brightness and strong reflections on the ice are not only distracting but also uncomfortable to look at over longer sessions, causing eye strain and breaking visual clarity during gameplay.
At that point, the experience drifts away from ice hockey and into something closer to an arcade or Fortnite style game.
At the same time, it is important to recognize that EASHL is played by a wide range of age groups, and that diversity is one of its strengths. Playing together across generations should be encouraged, and everyone should be able to enjoy the game in their own way.
Our own club reflects that diversity well. We play together simply because we enjoy fair and competitive hockey and having fun as a team. Our members are 46, 51, 52, 53 and 68 years old, and for context we currently hold a record of roughly 290-90-25. So yes, we can play the game. Maybe not like some younger teams with 200 wins in 200 games, but always competitive, sportsmanlike and ready to battle it out on the ice.
That is why we believe a client side visual option would be the best solution. An optional setting that allows players to disable cosmetic skins on their own screen and instead display standard hockey player models with realistic equipment and uniforms, regardless of what the opponent chooses to wear.
This approach would respect all player types and age groups. Those who enjoy expressive cosmetics and those who prefer a serious and authentic hockey atmosphere. Without taking anything away from either side.
Would this be something the team could consider for a future update or a future NHL release?
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
A longtime NHL player (or old man) since 1995
