Ask an NHL player to reflect on his first hockey memories, and you’ll likely see his eyes light up and a smile come across his face before he reminisces about long days spent on an outdoor rink.
For many Canadians, those casual pickup games lay at the heart of their love for the sport.
EA is trying to capture that essence in the latest instalment of its NHL video game franchise.
Outdoor Ones makes its debut in NHL ’19, available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One Sept. 14.
The gameplay pits online players in a one vs. one vs. one match lasting only three minutes. If you win, you get to move up from a basic parking lot rink, through three other increasingly prestigious and challenging rinks until you find yourself at The Ring – a mountain resort set rink inspired by Lake Louise that the game’s creative director, Will Ho, describes as “the pinnacle.”
There, a tournament champion will be crowned daily and rewarded with special cosmetic rewards such as jackets, pants and sticks to change the appearance of their player. On first day after a beta version of the game was released, the daily winner played 174 games – meaning she or he logged nearly nine hours of continuous play.
The rewards allowing players to change their avatar’s wardrobe isn’t always about looking good, Ho explains. Sometimes it’s just about standing out.
“It can be ugly,” he says. “You can be silly.”
EA Sports developers churn out a new version of the game every year. It’s hard to imagine how, given their workplace resembles a brand new university campus more than a typical workplace. With soccer, beach volleyball and basketball facilities – not to mention cafes and restaurants – the company’s 1,600 local employees seem overwhelmed with potential distractions.
But, Ho said, the NHL team is able to get its work done every year, motivated by a desire to make the popular game better. And, he said, their efforts have been unusually effective this past year.
Ho said many players who got a taste of the new game in the beta release are already hailing the latest instalment as the biggest improvement in a decade.
While Ho may have been reciting slick marketing copy for this reporter to eat up, it appears he wasn’t fabricating the claim. Many video game reviewers seem to back him up.
The NHL games have been rolling out annually for more than 20 years, but Ho said it’s not hard coming up with new ideas.
“What’s great is our team is really passionate about hockey. So we have no shortage of ideas, it’s just a matter of when is the best time to actually bring it to the game.”
NHL ‘19 will also have a completely revamped system for skating control and player collisions.
Ho said the new features will mean players can skate like Connor McDavid and hit like P.K. Subban.
“That really renews the gameplay,” he said.
