Updated: NHL Needs a Year Pass With PC Release – The Model That Out-Earns HUT
NHL should drop the outdated annual release with trickled out features and move to a Year Pass model that updates all season across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. One yearly payment, not monthly. Crossplay. Weekly updates and three big drops tied to the hockey calendar. Franchise and Be A Pro finally grow because there’s no yearly reset. Money Talk: Why Year Pass Beats HUT Assumptions Year Pass price 99 dollars Base case assumes 1.2 to 1.3 million Year Pass buyers Conservative case assumes 600 thousand Year Pass buyers Seasonal Pass is three drops at 20 dollars each per buyer These figures are illustrative and separate from HUT, which continues Base case, conservative math Year Pass subs 118 to 130 million Seasonal Passes three by twenty 21 to 24 million Creator Marketplace cosmetic mods broadcast packages goalie masks 15 million Team Partner Packs licensed intros songs jerseys 4 to 6 million Esports and sponsors 5 to 8 million Total 163 to 183 million before any HUT spend Conservative case Year Pass subs 59 to 60 million Seasonal Passes three by twenty 12 million Creator Marketplace 7 million Team Partner Packs 2 to 3 million Esports and sponsors 3 to 4 million Total 83 to 86 million before any HUT spend HUT continues as a primary driver. If current HUT brings in roughly 100 to 150 million on its own, the Year Pass model adds a new guaranteed revenue stream on top. In the base case it likely exceeds the annual model before counting HUT, and in the conservative case it meaningfully supplements HUT. Safe PC Release and Customization Freedom Fans want mods and editing. EA wants guaranteed revenue. Both can win. Unlocked editing attributes body size hair equipment all editable. No more grey silhouettes. Mods allowed for offline and presentation while the game requires an active Year Pass license to run. Server validated license. On boot the title checks EA servers. No sub equals locked title screen. Offline token grace period. Thirty days for legit offline play then a reconnect is required. Physical copies if sold are just installers. Subscription required to play. HUT remains server authoritative and protected with weekly ban waves. EA still gets paid every year even from offline only players who mod. Fans finally get the customization freedom they have asked for. HUT stays protected. What Fans Get This is not just about revenue. It is about finally delivering the hockey game fans have been asking for across forums Reddit and Discord for years. With a Year Pass model features stop disappearing and start stacking. The result is the most complete NHL game ever made. GM Connected returns. A true online franchise where up to 32 human GMs run teams make trades draft and play through multiple seasons without crashing or server issues. Because the Year Pass updates year round you experience the real NHL calendar. The Entry Draft in June. Free Agency in July. Training camps in September. Draft boards prospect interviews and live trade chatter between human GMs make it authentic. Roster share and full player editor. No more grey silhouettes. Every attribute equipment piece body size hairstyle facial hair and goalie mask editable. Unlimited created players. Community roster sharing allows NCAA KHL World Juniors Legends or Historic seasons to be uploaded and downloaded instantly. All Star international and specialty events. The hockey calendar finally feels alive. World Juniors in December. Olympic hockey every four years. PWHL integration for women’s hockey. Outdoor games like the Winter Classic and Stadium Series with unique crowd behavior and ice conditions. A fully playable All Star Skills Competition with hardest shot fastest skater accuracy shooting and breakaway challenge. Franchise mode depth and off ice culture. Practices that actually matter. Coaches with unique personalities and systems that affect morale and chemistry. Players with rivalries friendships and leadership qualities that impact performance. Realistic contracts including no trade clauses taxes and player mood. Off the ice NHL Network and TSN style studio panels debate your trades highlight rivalries and call out playoff collapses. Cutscenes show your GM at the draft table in pressers or in tense contract meetings. Player charity events award shows and trade deadline specials bring league culture to life. Be A Pro that feels alive. Draft day presentations locker room interactions and press conferences matter. Post game interviews affect reputation and endorsements. A social media feed filled with fan chatter highlight clips and TSN rumors responds to your play. Get traded and analysts debate it while fans boo or cheer. Award shows and off ice storylines give real progression. Smarter AI. No more lifeless teammates. AI runs real systems hockey. Penalty kill units collapse into diamonds versus a 1 3 1. Neutral zone traps finally look real. Puck battles net scrums and board play feel organic. Authentic skating and player identity. AI driven animations built from NHL EDGE and broadcast footage. McDavid’s hunched acceleration Eichel’s glide Matthews’ quick release Sorokin’s explosive pushes. Every player looks and plays like themselves updated throughout the season. Dynamic broadcast and presentation. Multiple commentary crews ESPN TNT Sportsnet regionals. Pre game panels preview matchups intermissions show highlights from around the league and post game wrap ups react to storylines. If Ovechkin is chasing Gretzky the studio debates it before puck drop crowds buzz when he hits the ice and broadcasters celebrate the record when he breaks it. Legends and Era modes. Relive Gretzky’s Oilers the 90s Red Wings the 2000s Devils with retro overlays and authentic commentary references. Entire historic seasons or drop Legends into Franchise. Fighting emotion and atmosphere. A fighting engine with context. A fight after a dirty hit boosts energy. Players smash sticks after bad calls chirp in scrums and pull off signature celebrations. Crowds chant boo rivals and erupt during milestones. Why Fans Stay Engaged Year Round With a Year Pass model NHL does not go dark after the Cup Final. Instead the game stays alive through the entire off season. NHL Draft. A full authentic draft experience in June with cutscenes draft boards prospect interviews and trade chatter. Most first round prospects are face scanned and in the game at release with updates for the new class added immediately after. Free agency and off season moves. In July live updates roll out for big signings and trades. Studio panels and commentary debate roster moves like TSN or NHL Network. Training camps and rookie showcases. September brings prospect tournaments pre season camp battles and cutscenes around players making or missing the team. Season kickoff buzz. The NHL and NHLPA marketing push in October ties into the game. New intros presentation updates and live content drops make it feel like a fresh new season starting not just a stale roster update. This way fans stay hooked all summer. Franchise players immerse themselves in the league calendar. Be A Pro players live through the draft and free agency drama. Online GMs in Connected Leagues negotiate and trade through the off season. When the puck drops in October the game already feels hot with buzz from real world hockey. For the first time NHL does not just feel like a video game. It feels like being inside hockey twelve months a year. Why This Works for EA Guaranteed revenue. Every player must renew each year. PC adds new markets. Even 300 thousand PC subs equals about 27 to 30 million extra at 99 dollars. Offline depth improves retention. Franchise and Be A Pro players stick around longer and are more likely to try HUT. No cracks or free play. License validation with offline tokens controls piracy while respecting legit offline users. HUT strengthened. Bundled cosmetics and event rewards increase engagement without breaking the economy. Bottom Line This model makes more money than the annual release alone brings in new fans through PC and finally delivers the complete hockey game. EA wins with guaranteed revenue a bigger player base and a stronger HUT. Fans win with full customization mods offline depth and no more resets. This is how NHL stops feeling like a side project and starts leading sports gaming again.
Getting kicked from the server by your opponent
I want to report [REMOVED] on Xbox. I didn’t lose internet service but got booted from the game with a couple seconds left right before I won. I want that reversed into a win. Edit: Removed player ID and video. "Naming and shaming" is against the EA Forums rules. Please report players using the instructions here. -CMNHL26 matchmaking region restricted?
Hi guys, normally never playing CHEL. My last time was like 2022 or something. Now living in India, so my region is Asia-Pacific. While I connect to some games in HUT, I was not able to find any matchmaking today for CHEL mode at all (doesnt matter if 3v3, ones, threes, whatever). Is NHL26 matchmaking region restricted? Or is it just because there is barely anyone playing NHL26 at the moment and it could be better in a week when the normal version is published? Cheers!OAP needing a little clarity on the NEW NHL26
Good morning everyone! We are finally here --preseason--then we are in full tilt. Old Age Pensioner here--who since 1992 always enjoys a slice on EA NHL.....Times are a little harderthese days (for everyone) so just wanted to get a good view of how other members are rating NHL 26, before I stump up the £££ (I did post this in the O/S Forum, but find the new look forum very tricky. Spent 6 months editing to finally get my version of NHL25 playable---so am a little reluctant to just drop the project and start again with NHL 26...SO was wandering IF SOME OF YOU YOUNGSTERS WHO HAVE THE GAME CAN CHECK SOME THINGS FOR ME---Any info would be much appreciatted. (Offline Season Player) Season / Franchise Mode: Can we (finally) EDIT player attributes once we have started a Season/Franchise? Player Profile Pics: My Wife laughs (in fact multiple Wives have laughed lol) but do we have Player Portraits of Anton Frondell (Swedish SHL Djurgarden), Adam Novotny (CZE Mountfield) Ivar Stenberg (SHL Frolunda) Milton Gastrin (MODO SWE)--as well as NHL players such as Tsyplakov (NYI), and the late additions of last year eg ; Demidov (MTL) Buim (MINN) etc--Im hoping theres NO NHL regulars that are "faceless" CPU AI : The usual---does the CPU on PK still attack with D men (bizarre), do the CPU Goalies leak unrealistic goals (eg: a shot is stopped then somehow powers into the net? Does the CPU set up on better PP? Are we seeeing Penalties/PPs....I had read somehwere that the dreaded Penalty bug isnt calling obvious fouls? What does the Body checking, Poke checking and the Goaltending look like? Any regrets leaving 25 to upgrade to the "new kid?" On Screen Icons : Can you remove from screen the increasing amount of graphics--such as Xfactors, Pressure Meters, etc (I like to try and keep it as TV like) Presentation: Fully accept that we may never see the NBC style of presentation again, but I have heard that theres some improvement regarding "Replays / End Game Highlights?", and Pre Game intros.....May I ask if this is apparent in other modes rather than just BAP? Again, THANK YOU so much for your time. I fully realise that this must be a tedious request, and I dont want to hogg the boards or anyones time. Thank you all....and have agreat weekend. Johhny
PETITION FOR NHL GAMES TO BE PORTED ON PC
Hello, would you guys be interested in making a petition for NHL games to be ported on PC ? I am seriously tired of EA jumping on every sport games because they know that they can sell you the same 80$ games every year with little to no effort in updating it. At least, sell the licence to a company that thinks about their PC community. This is ridiculous... I want to play nhl as much as UFC on my pc and I will not buy a console only to play these two. So yeah, let`s make a petition for EA to port the game or sell the licence, we will show them how many people would actually buy the game. Also, it's not only about how many people buy it, think about how many players would spend their paycheck on packs... Edit: Removed bold and profanity. Make sure your posts are adhering to the EA Forums rules. -CM
NHL 26 EASHL MM BROKEN WITH HUMAN GOALIE
Starting this to hopefully get eyes on the matchmaking with a human goaltender on your team. Been trying for 3 straight days and trying to play as a goaltender with my team is not possible. The mm always errors out after about 5 mins and we have to restart. Have not played a game as goalie yet. Switching to a forward/d works in about 1 min or less and we can join games fine. And NO - before you keyboard warriors say "its bc there are no goalies" that would be true if turning on Drop in players doesnt populate a goalie immediately. However playing 6v6 with randoms who troll is not fun. Allow me to play goalie without the mm breaking everytime we try to search.Patch 1 Update release date?
When is the possible release date of patch 1? I noticed there a few arenas that are missing their names on the ice, the passing icon is not toggled and we still don’t have an option to make the “Full Pressure” red boards optional for our visual settings. Is there a potential date as to when this could happen? Thank you
NHL 26 WOC
EA please for the love of god please remove Finding teammates when queuing on WoC its honestly the most useless thing in the game Let us find our teammates randomly when we find opponents In 3 hours I only got to play 5 games with my buddy yesterday Too much queuing for nothing is honestly depressing Too many game modes for a low population game Remove Quickplay it’s useless Remove Arcade 3v3 Queuing without finding teammates and not having so many game modes would put us in games much quicker Trying to get in a game feels like a job now i dont get it not only that UI is so laggy creating a build is laggy everything is just so laggy Finding teammates got introduced in NHL24 Ever since finding lobbies is just a pain 23 didn’t have this issue no matter the game mode or how many people would be playing at the time of the day Please at least consider removing finding teammates