In the end, the NHL series doesn't sell enough copies for any company to truly care about truly investing in it...let alone a company like EA. They know they'll sell about 800k copies every year and there are unlikely to be features that truly make an impact on the sales numbers. So they are content to simply tweak what they have and have those 800k buy the game again. It's likely a nice little earner for them every year and that's about it.
This is the problem the studio faces, and why it continues to get complaints about not enough changes done to the game compared to the previous iteration. It doesn't make the amount of money the bigger franchises like FIFA and Madden makes, so they get a smaller team and budget to work it.
The NHL series can only make small gains per year overall, since they have to be more selective in where they allocate their resources, while making enough changes overall to draw enough sales for the new version. And for a game mode like HUT, they have to put focus on it since it draws in revenue. This is why a cool feature like online Franchise Mode keeps getting kept off the menu. It's a cool feature, and should get lots play if it functions properly, but it'll require a lot of work and time to do it, and they'll prefer to put it towards something they consider a higher priority presently to generate sales.
This is the problem the studio faces, and why it continues to get complaints about not enough changes done to the game compared to the previous iteration. It doesn't make the amount of money the bigger franchises like FIFA and Madden makes, so they get a smaller team and budget to work it.
The NHL series can only make small gains per year overall, since they have to be more selective in where they allocate their resources, while making enough changes overall to draw enough sales for the new version. And for a game mode like HUT, they have to put focus on it since it draws in revenue. This is why a cool feature like online Franchise Mode keeps getting kept off the menu. It's a cool feature, and should get lots play if it functions properly, but it'll require a lot of work and time to do it, and they'll prefer to put it towards something they consider a higher priority presently to generate sales.
Exactly. Madden fans have the weight to make huge demands, but I just don't think us snow muppets have the same kind of pull.
I know when Colin Moriarty (during his IGN days) took a trip to see them he was shocked at how small the team is, and how short of a time period they have to churn out a new game. You can't have a full team dedicated to the new game, so while it feels like they should be able to do more with the year they have, it's not really a full year.
If EA can’t assign resources to this series then why not get your skeleton crew together to pump one of these out every 2-3 years? It would be a more meaningful release, you’d have the time to prepare a good quality game and you could probably get away with charging a little more. You may even make more money this way. Quality over quantity.
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I dont understand all the hate towards the EA sports NHL games. I buy them each year and have a blast playing. Play online versus, or offline versus with buddies, my son plays pretty much every other mode as well.
Its a damn video game, have some fun with it!
Personally I feel ripped off paying $80/year for what feels like a roster update. The graphics haven't really made any major improvements since 2008. The only mode they focus on is their cash cow HUT. Like, who the #### cares about playing on a pond? What a useless feature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto-matic
And if people start boycotting the NHL series, we may be without one for a long time unless 2K steps in.
Haven't bought one in a few years, and this was a concern at first, but quite frankly if the series died I wouldn't miss it at all. If they ever update their engine or do a massive overhaul I'll jump back on board but I think I'll be skipping NHL again this year.
If EA can’t assign resources to this series then why not get your skeleton crew together to pump one of these out every 2-3 years? It would be a more meaningful release, you’d have the time to prepare a good quality game and you could probably get away with charging a little more. You may even make more money this way. Quality over quantity.
Except that doesn't fix the budget issue....
More time on the project = more development costs
It's going to be mostly the same pool of people are going to buy it every year as opposed to every 2 years.
And don't kid yourself, no one will be willing to pay more than $80 for NHL. There will be no market for that in the States.
And the bolded part is just wrong.
Don't get me wrong.. I want a better product, but NHL isn't where EA is going to earn it's money from.
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Agreed. There's likely no way that's a wise decision imo. Don't get me wrong – that'd be awesome, but I don't think there's enough people holding out to make an extra year of development costs worth it.
I think we're much more likely to see a time when they take a year off to focus on the latest game and update it via firmware.
Even though EA NHL games makes me angry, I like to play NHL 18 when I'm drunk on the weekends. But to my chagrin, last weekend I discovered that OTP is no longer an option! If you want to play 6 vs 6, it has to be the EASHL mode with your crappy custom character only. Unless I'm completely wrong and the internet has lied to me, apparently there is no way to play 6vs6 OTP with real NHL players and teams. It's only with your custom guy.
I like to play RD and use real NHL players. Instead I'm stuck using my crappy player with a 60 rating because I don't play it enough to actually get his numbers up. Cool, I get to go up against a bunch of guys with 90+ ratings. I want to play as Gaudreau, Crosby, Doughty, even stupid McDavid in OTP. I can't believe EA removed that option. I would love to sit in the room with the person who made that choice, have them explain it to me why they though it was a good idea, then repeatedly slap them over and over again for making such a stupid choice.
If I want OTP, I have to play NHL 17. F'ing ridiculous. I wonder if NHL 19 will have it.
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Location: Oklahoma - Where they call a puck a ball...
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I'm just curious what everyone's favorite hockey game is. One of my buds wrote a post about his top hockey games ever and honestly... I had played 1. I didn't get in to hockey until I was almost 30 so my hockey game knowledge is very limited. For some reason I loved mutant league hockey. It sucks that non franchise games aren't really around anymore.
Nonetheless what's been your favorite hockey game?
If you want to check out the blog
NHL 2001 on PS2. My god, what an amazingly intense, crack-like addictive game that was. "Freight train choo-woo!!". Probably my favourite hockey game ever.
NHL 2K2 on Dreamcast was pretty good too.
It's not that the current NHL series' are bad games. They just put half the effort into them that goes into the other EA franchises, and that's what pisses me off about them. Literally an updated roster, maybe a couple things changed around in the menu, and then sell it off as new. The same annoyances since NHL 07 (which was the first true next-gen hockey game and the 'rebirth' of the current NHL game franchise) still exists today.
Even though EA NHL games makes me angry, I like to play NHL 18 when I'm drunk on the weekends. But to my chagrin, last weekend I discovered that OTP is no longer an option! If you want to play 6 vs 6, it has to be the EASHL mode with your crappy custom character only. Unless I'm completely wrong and the internet has lied to me, apparently there is no way to play 6vs6 OTP with real NHL players and teams. It's only with your custom guy.
I like to play RD and use real NHL players. Instead I'm stuck using my crappy player with a 60 rating because I don't play it enough to actually get his numbers up. Cool, I get to go up against a bunch of guys with 90+ ratings. I want to play as Gaudreau, Crosby, Doughty, even stupid McDavid in OTP. I can't believe EA removed that option. I would love to sit in the room with the person who made that choice, have them explain it to me why they though it was a good idea, then repeatedly slap them over and over again for making such a stupid choice.
If I want OTP, I have to play NHL 17. F'ing ridiculous. I wonder if NHL 19 will have it.
Not that it solves your issue, but there are no player ratings in EASHL anymore.
NHL 2001 on PS2. My god, what an amazingly intense, crack-like addictive game that was. "Freight train choo-woo!!". Probably my favourite hockey game ever.
NHL 2K2 on Dreamcast was pretty good too.
It's not that the current NHL series' are bad games. They just put half the effort into them that goes into the other EA franchises, and that's what pisses me off about them. Literally an updated roster, maybe a couple things changed around in the menu, and then sell it off as new. The same annoyances since NHL 07 (which was the first true next-gen hockey game and the 'rebirth' of the current NHL game franchise) still exists today.
Was 2001 the year with the foot in the crease rule?? Me or a buddy would score and then you would have that awkward 3-5 seconds to hope that no one was in the crease haha.
Was 2001 the year with the foot in the crease rule?? Me or a buddy would score and then you would have that awkward 3-5 seconds to hope that no one was in the crease haha.
It might have been, that sounds familiar. I remember it most for that wacky announcer who sounded like he was better of commentating in a WWF match. But I loved that game to death. Scott Stevens and Keith Tkachuk were my favourite players in the game as they were absolute monsters. The hitting was ferocious and overall it was just the most intense sports game I remember playing, even to this day. Not at all realistic hockey, but super fun.
Many a day was skipped during high school to get baked and play that game.
I'm just curious what everyone's favorite hockey game is. One of my buds wrote a post about his top hockey games ever and honestly... I had played 1. I didn't get in to hockey until I was almost 30 so my hockey game knowledge is very limited. For some reason I loved mutant league hockey. It sucks that non franchise games aren't really around anymore.
Nonetheless what's been your favorite hockey game?
If you want to check out the blog
NHL Hitz. Nothing since then has been even close to as fun as that game. 2002 or 2003, doesn't matter.
Yes Hitz was amazing but no love for Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey 98?!?!
That was my jam.
When the goalie would turn into a literal brick wall, or the ambulance would drive across the screen when you rocked someone, or the net would light on fire after a big slapper!
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It might have been, that sounds familiar. I remember it most for that wacky announcer who sounded like he was better of commentating in a WWF match.
Ah, the Don Taylor years.
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I'm just curious what everyone's favorite hockey game is. One of my buds wrote a post about his top hockey games ever and honestly... I had played 1. I didn't get in to hockey until I was almost 30 so my hockey game knowledge is very limited. For some reason I loved mutant league hockey. It sucks that non franchise games aren't really around anymore.
Nonetheless what's been your favorite hockey game?
If you want to check out the blog
Blades Of Steel. Nothing like beating the hell out of your opponent in a fight and they get the penalty.
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. I would love to sit in the room with the person who made that choice, have them explain it to me why they though it was a good idea, then repeatedly slap them over and over again for making such a stupid choice.
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I'm betting that they are going to release purchase items to make your player better, so you can have that 91 overall player it will just cost you 200 bucks. Why let you use a 91 overall for free when they can make the majorly pay for it?
