With reports surfacing that NHL 15 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is missing a ton of features, Producer Sean Ramjagsingh revealed what they have planned for the future of the game, which includes the addition of Playoff Mode, Online Team Play, and more.
Ramjagsingh then said this when talking about the new-gen versions of NHL 15 today:
We’re incredibly proud of the next-generation gameplay and presentation experience we’ve created for all our fans. From the Next-Generation Hockey Player and True Hockey Physics to the Unrivalled In-Arena Experience and a revolution in Broadcast Presentation, I’m extremely proud of what our team has delivered in one year on new technology. The focus on a new gameplay and presentation engine will not only deliver a great game now, but also give us the foundation to deliver next-generation hockey experiences to you for the years to come.
However, we’re not done.
Here’s what you can expect to arrive via free updates on PS4 and Xbox One soon, in addition to the roster and ratings updates:
Coming in September 2014
Playoff Mode
- Create a custom offline tournament bracket with up to 16 teams from any of the 12 leagues in the game. Play or simulate each game and track player and team stats throughout the tournament.
Be A Pro – Coach Feedback
- Get the coach’s feedback while you are on the bench. The coach will give you tips on how to stay on top of your game and grade you on your play.
3 Stars of the Game
- At the end of the game, see the three stars and their high level stats. Will apply to every game mode.
Hockey Ultimate Team
- Several content updates, including: Changed layout and navigation in HUT store; New animations for player items
- Improved edit lines screen to better identify players that are injured or require contract extensions
Coming in October 2014:
Online Team Play
- Online multiplayer mode where every player on the ice can be human controlled.
GM Draft
- For the first time in the NHL franchise, you will be put on the clock and feel the pressure like real NHL GM’s. You will now only have 3 minutes to make a draft pick. If the pressure is too much, you can also call timeouts to extend the amount of time you have to make a draft pick or potentially negotiate a trade. You can make trades at any time during the draft. The CPU will also propose trades to each other and the user throughout the draft.
As part of an interview with Canada recently, Ramjagsingh discussed why NHL 15 is missing features on PS4 and Xbox One:
It’s mostly time, and then with development on new platforms you always encounter new hurdles you didn’t plan for (technical hurdles), and it takes more time and resources to kind of overcome those. The team pushed hard until just a few weeks ago when we made the final announcement that OTP [Online Team Play] wasn’t going to be in there for launch. The reason why we didn’t talk about it before was we were still pushing and trying to get it in for launch.
We’re 100% committed to bringing back the EA Sports Hockey League as well, and we understand the importance of the mode and understand our fans love it. We have the foundation now to bring back the EA Sports Hockey league bigger and better than we ever did in the past. The gameplay and presentation now are there.
Will you be buying NHL 15 this week?
[Source: EA Sports]
