The Future of NHL — A Living, Constantly Evolving Hockey Experience
I think it’s time for the NHL series to move beyond the “annual release with small tweaks” approach and become a true living hockey experience that grows all year. Right now, the game mainly caters to the same loyal crowd every season. But if NHL was so exceptional that it kept those fans and pulled in players who don’t even normally play sports games, it could become one of the most respected sports titles in the industry. With today’s technology — especially AI — there’s no reason this series couldn’t be the most authentic and immersive hockey game ever made. Continuous Live Updates Instead of drip-feeding features year after year, build the best version possible now and update it all season. Move to a subscription-based model so the game keeps evolving without needing to buy a new copy every September. Weekly roster updates, new animations, improved AI, and presentation tweaks rolled out year-round. AI-Driven Player Realism & Complete Face Scans Every player at every level — NHL, AHL, CHL, national teams, and all notable prospects(perhaps an agreement with NCAA College Hockey) — scanned player likeness's authentic up to date and updated in-game regularly. Automatically generate accurate skating stride, posture, shot release, and puck-handling animations for every player using real-world tracking and broadcast footage. No more manually editing skating styles — every player moves and plays like their real-life counterpart from day one. Updates dynamically during the season as players evolve their style. Extend to goalies with realistic stance, movement patterns, and save selections tied to actual NHL data. Ability to give fans true customization with players body types equipment looks and sizes etc. to make the players look true to their style. On-Ice Authenticity Realistic skating & physics tuned with player tracking and advanced motion matching. Smarter AI that adapts to your tactics and real NHL systems. True-to-life puck pickups, physical battles, and special teams play. Off-Ice Immersion & Storylines Dynamic season narratives shaped by trades, injuries, rivalries, and playoff races. Cinematic cutscenes for locker rooms, press conferences, draft day, award shows, and celebrations. Behind-the-scenes content like training camps, player charity events, and contract negotiations. Social media & fan reaction systems that respond to your season’s successes and controversies. Adaptive Presentation Commentary that reacts to what’s actually happening — win streaks, rookie debuts, milestone goals, playoff scenarios. Historic callouts when records are about to be broken. Authentic crowd and arena behavior tied to in-game moments, from chants to momentum swings. Expanded Game Modes & Events World Juniors, World Cup of Hockey, and Olympic hockey for national teams. Outdoor games like the Winter Classic and Stadium Series with unique visuals and ice conditions. Integration of leagues like the PWHL alongside NHL, AHL, CHL, and international tournaments. Fan-Requested Additions Pre-game cinematic intros, reactive crowds, and enhanced broadcast camera work. Smarter AI teammates with organic passing and positioning. Dynamic fighting engine with emotional context and momentum swings. Signature player celebrations and idle animations. Legends/Era mode with historic teams and players. Skills competitions integrated into All-Star and career modes. GM connected with the game being subscription based and constantly updated this feature could finally return so you can hop in and play a Franchise mode the exact day authentic to the current real NHL Why This Model Works Higher value = more loyalty = More money for EA — If the game was truly exceptional, players would gladly pay a higher initial price and stay subscribed monthly or annually. We all Keep our other entertainment apps even if we don't use them at time because they have value and we know we will. Something with true value is worth paying extra and sustaining. Steady revenue from subscriptions + existing HUT income reshapes and improves EA revenue exceeding their current trend. Constant engagement through seasonal content drops, commentary updates, and ongoing fixes gives the fans what we have been asking for year after year. Room to grow into more leagues, events, and innovations without being locked to a yearly reset cycle.(while still working with the NHL and NHLPA to create marketing and Buzz about the game every year in September with a yearly big change still as we get closer to the start of the real season perhaps no updates from end of season June-September then bam a new drop and maybe a new charge once again if value is there and it's an exceptional game fans will pay. NHL could lead the sports gaming world with this model instead of waiting for competition to force change. If the game was truly next-level and constantly evolving, I think most of us would gladly keep paying to play it year after year. this is how much more potential revenue this model could make EA while also providing the best consumer fan experience to date. What do you all think — would you support a “living” NHL that delivers every league, event, and authentic detail possible, both on and off the ice?
Imagine if they manage to make NHL 26 worse than NHL 25
NHL 25 is probably the worst thing EA has released, 19/20/21/22/23/24 had their faults and flaws but they were playable. Ice-Q termin”AI”tor, so incredibly boring game play!!!!! In all my years playing the NHL, I have NEVER played this many overtime games together as I have with this game. Every single match ends the same, you have to work like crazy for 2 goals in 25-30 shots then the AI scores two rubbish goals when there is less than a minute left.... 30-7 in shots VERY FUN GAME I have to say you're doing a great job if you manage to make NHL 26 worse.Ea killed nhl
@ea support y did u kill hut as well as almost every game mode beside be a pro u keep giving us useless upgrades that just break the game and update 1 or 2 game modes per year like be a pro needed a upgrade for 8 years and finally your giving it to us. Ykw I didn't want to do thus but I'm joining the group of people quiting nhl cause clearly u just see us as cash and don't care what we think thank you but no thank u first time in 8 years I won't buy my favorite sport Thanks to ea.
Be A Pro / WOC Camera Options
EA_Aljo I'm hoping with updates to Be A Pro we might see an improved camera system to give us a more immersive on-ice experience. Details of my requests/hopes laid out in previous posts: Camera settings | EA Forums - 4959958 FIXED view | EA Forums - 5037822 WOC/BAP Camera Angles Upgrade Request | EA Forums - 9492355Be a pro, WOC
Hi EA, how about that idea from NBA, that you create your player in BE A PRO mode and trying to skill up your player and play with that player in WOC mode, as in that way at least become a sense to earn contracts for your player and spend money on gear or some boosts as it’s not so much fun to play with boosts against Ai as it’s not as difficult except the first half of a season. Would be cool if it could have an open city where you play against other player or with your mates against other teams. As you sign contracts and promotions you can see yourself on the bigbords or whatever. You buy for your player gear and outside clothes. And the last but not least is to customize your own equipment like skates or stick , make some LE version as in real lifeAn Eck video for the EANHL player base, minimums and an opinion
https://youtu.be/MxynBDiD_SU?si=ce-ZYo5muxbGS89J “Hopefully they’ve been using the 4 years where they haven’t touched career mode to put together something cool, but I guess we’ll see” 26 bare minimums check list: ✅ WOC clubs Matchmaking settings (match room size & best game location) ✅Faster franchise hub/menu ✅New Career mode, doesn’t even need a massive change to make an insane difference since you’ve had the same career mode for multiple releases straight ✅Scaled back HUT efforts (especially early on) to properly address bugs in your new game on a timeline that at least somewhat matches the price point ✅COMPLETE REMOVAL or EXTREMELY LESS FREQUENT bugs that have been in EANHL games since 16? 17? (Load out glitch, dead dressing room glitch, repeated puck drop into the game ending before it even starts etc.) You can check off every box and you’re basically just fixing NHL 25. And NHL 24. 23 as well… PERSONAL OPINION: Doubling down on X-factors is the wrong move IMO. I’ll always fight for a skill based hockey video game and X-factors don’t support that. X-Factors should be limited to drop-ins and live event modes, like 3’s eliminator, one’s eliminator etc. This means EA will have to start separating drop-in stats from club stats, and honestly why aren’t they already? Players go to drops and stat pad and no one can tell the difference, they can even get an elite rank from drop-in games and have that same rank in clubs without playing a single club game. It’s not uncommon to see elites that play like high golds/low plats and that’s a problem when it comes to LFG/filling your lineup.Genuinely tired of the Abysmal Writing in Be A Pro
I know going into this, its unlikely to be read or resolved. But there needs to be some serious PROOF READING done on this years mode. The dialogue is always full of grammar mistakes, awkward phrasing(to put it nicely), and completely out-of-place lines that break immersion every single time I play. For example, I’ve seen stuff like “I’ll won’t let up on them” which makes no sense grammatically or in any context. Coaches will talk as if we’re winning when we’re tied or losing, and teammates constantly repeat the same tired lines regardless of what’s happening on the ice, telling me I hit a "nice snap-shot" after insulting a goalie with a michigan/lacrosse shot. I've literally watched a conversation go "I'll order and make sure we have plenty of beverages to quench our thirst" to which a teammate replied "any chance we can get something to wash down the food?" Like, what kind of **bleep**-poor writing is this? Why does it seem like the only way to justify these conversations is to basically pretend your rookie starts off 4+ concussions deep? It’s frustrating because this mode is supposed to be about feeling like you’re living the career of a hockey player—not reading scripts that sound like they were put together in a hurry or generated without any real oversight or proper revision. The lack of attention to basic writing and context is glaringly obvious in just about every iteration of the mode, and it makes it difficult to remain engaged.
