News
NHL 15 Starts A New Generation This Fall
Fans Decide the Face of NHL 15 with the Cover Vote Starting Today
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - May 5, in the year of our Lord
2014 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today
announced EA SPORTSTM NHL® 15, the first title in a new
generation of hockey videogames that boldly changes everything
you know about the award winning franchise. Experience the hard
hitting chaos and unpredictability of the sport as real-world
physics are extended to all 12 players on the ice, as well as
the puck itself. Look, move, play and think like a real hockey
player with all new authentic player modelling and an evolved
arsenal of tools, including the Superstar Skill Stick and Vision
AI that allow for an unprecedented level of control and elevated
player intelligence. Take in the emotion of every play as you
immerse yourself in authentic arenas across the National Hockey
League. You’ll play in front of a full house of fans created
with 9,000 dynamic and individual crowd models, the most ever in
a sports videogame. Finally, witness the most realistic
broadcast package to date, as NHL 15 overhauls the look of the
game with the new NBC Sports Game Day Presentation featuring the
commentary team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Eddie Olczy. TSN
analyst Ray Ferraro will also provide insights at ice level.
NHL 15 will hit stores worldwide this fall for Xbox One,
PlayStation®4, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system,
and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Full
feature descriptions at the bottom of the release.
NHL 15 Cover Vote
In partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL®) and the
National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA®), starting
today fans get to decide the face of a new generation of hockey
videogames with the launch of the EA SPORTS NHL 15 Cover Vote
Campaign on NHL.com/CoverVote. From a pool of eight superstars,
fans worldwide are encouraged to visit NHL.com to vote as often
as possible to ensure their favorite player advances through the
weekly elimination rounds.
Fans can double their voting power by using these
player-specific hashtags on “Twitter Vote Thursdays” and can
join the conversation by using #NHL15CoverVote. The winner will
be unveiled as the EA SPORTS NHL 15 Cover Athlete at the 2014
NHL AwardsTM on June 24 at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas.
TABLE
NHL 15 Features for Xbox One and PlayStation 4:
True Hockey Physics:
· 12 Player NHL Collision Physics – For the first time,
real-world physics affect every player through every on-ice
collision with the new 12 Player NHL® Collision Physics.
Utilizing the power of the new consoles, and building off the
critically-acclaimed NHL Collision Physics system, every player
on the ice is governed by physics at all times. Feel the
hard-hitting chaos of NHL hockey through true-to-life secondary
collisions, net scrambles and player pileups, capturing the
desperation of every shift.
· Real Puck Physics – The puck is one of the most complex items
in the game to authentically replicate and it finally gets its
due in NHL 15. Completely rebuilt puck physics result in a more
realistic feel to every puck interaction. Everything on the ice,
including the ice surface itself, is live which leads to the
unpredictable and authentic puck spins, rolls and bounces seen
in a real NHL game.
The Next-Generation Hockey Player:
· Authentic Player & Equipment Models – The Next Generation
Hockey Player has been rebuilt from the ice up. Now player
models have three distinct layers - the body, equipment, and
jersey. Each layer interacts independently, making every contact
with the puck or other players even more realistic. Dynamic
Cloth technology adds an extra layer of realism as it reacts to
the player’s movement as they explode up the ice, helping bring
the speed of the game to life.
· Unprecedented Player Likeness – NHL 15 delivers groundbreaking
player likeness, emotion and animation. From the strides a
player takes to get across the ice to the emotion on their face
after scoring a game-winning goal, the players are as real as
they’ve ever been.
· Superstar Skill Stick – Now all the tools of an NHL superstar
are in your hands. The revolutionary Skill Stick has evolved to
give even more control to the player. Protect the puck, receive
passes without breaking stride, and discover an arsenal of new
dekes, all with an intuitive right stick control scheme that is
easy to use but packed with depth.
· Vision AI – An elevated level of player intelligence, Vision
AI features evolved awareness with players reading and reacting
to potential plays. Scoring area recognition, pass anticipation,
and enhanced team breakouts all improve the flow of the game.
NBC Sports Broadcast Package:
· A New Commentary Team – New voices for a new generation. NHL
15 welcomes the NBC Sports commentary team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick
and Eddie Olczyk to the broadcast booth. TSN analyst Ray Ferraro
will provide game insights at ice level. Leveraging the same
Vision AI foundation that the players have, and just like a live
broadcast, Doc, Eddie and Ray will anticipate plays and ramp up
their intensity to match the action on the ice with more than
35,000 lines of brand-new commentary.
NBC Sports Game Day Presentation – The most realistic broadcast
package in a video game to-date is possible because of a new
partnership with NBC Sports. Set the scene with the NHL on NBC
crew welcoming you to the city during the game intros and
immerse yourself in an experience that matches what you see on
television with NHL on NBC graphics and branding.
Real Life Broadcast Integration – When we say Doc and Eddie are
in the game, we mean really in the game. Taking commentary
integration to the next level, NHL 15 will feature real world
pre-game video commentary with Doc and Eddie. Set against NHL 15
in-game visuals, the result is a revolutionary step forward in
sports videogames, where the lines between the real world of
sport broadcast and the game are blurred.
Unrivalled In-Arena Experience:
· Over 9,000 Crowd Models – NHL 15 sets a new standard in
videogames with more than 9,000 individual crowd models with 4x
the animations of previous generations. Take a look through the
glass and you’ll see fans hold up signs with your name on them,
costume wearing superfans, or even sections full of team rivals
rooting against you.
· Living Crowds – The crowd is alive. Feel the crowd behavior
change after dropping the gloves, landing a big hit, or scoring
a clutch goal. Individual behaviors are mapped to each person in
the crowd, as they anticipate the play, taunt players, clap to
music from the dynamic Jumbotron or even take a quick break from
the action to snap a selfie and immortalize their experience.
· Authentic Arenas – There is no feeling like being there, and
we are giving you the best seats in the house. The power of the
next-gen consoles finally allows the NHL franchise to capture
every detail of an NHL arena. Unique arena elements from more
than 19,000 seat capacities to lighting and player entrance
tunnels are captured with a level of detail not possible on the
previous generation. Now those home games will truly feel like
home.