News
NHL 18 Cover Athlete Announced
LAS VEGAS--(July 21, in the year of our Lord 2017)--Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today unveiled the first look at EA
SPORTS™ NHL® 18 to hockey fans at the 2017 NHL Awards™ and NHL
Expansion Draft™ presented by T-Mobile in Las Vegas, and
revealed Edmonton Oilers ® superstar center and Art Ross Trophy
winner Connor McDavid as the athlete on the game’s cover.
“Representing NHL 18 as the cover athlete is an incredible
honor,” said Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers®. “I’ve played EA
SPORTS NHL every year since I was kid. To appear on the cover,
something that has been done previously by so many players that
I respect and admire, is very exciting. I can’t wait to play NHL
18.”
NHL® 18 is built to deliver the speed, skill, and creativity of
today’s young new NHL through Creative Attack controls and the
all-new Defensive Skill stick. The new 3-on-3 NHL® THREES mode
introduces fast-paced, arcade-inspired action and, in Franchise
Mode, the Expansion Draft feature lets fans be the first to play
as the Vegas Golden Knights™, or create and draft their very own
32nd NHL team from the ground up. All of these new features are
delivered with the most ways to play multiplayer ever in an EA
SPORTS NHL® game. For the full list of features new to NHL® 18,
visit the official website here.
Fans can experience the all-new NHL® THREES and more in NHL® 18
first by registering for public beta now. The beta begins July
25, 2017 and will include three modes: NHL® THREES, EA SPORTS
Hockey League, and Online Vs.
“There’s a huge shift in the sport of hockey right now, where a
new generation of young players are bringing more speed, skill
and creativity to the game than we’ve ever seen,” said Sean
Ramjagsingh, Lead Producer, NHL® 18. “NHL 18 is all about
capturing everything that’s great about the new NHL. Creative
Attack controls let our players show off all the skill and
highlight-reel moves they can imagine, while NHL THREES brings
the speed and excitement of 3-on-3 hockey to the game.”
New Creative Attack skill moves give players the control to
execute jaw-dropping plays. On offense, creative dekes include
between-the-legs moves, one-handed dekes, back-handed toe-drags
and much more -- like the ability to branch moves together for
moment-to-moment decision making. On defense, the new Defensive
Skill Stick delivers the tools to counter attacks with poke
check targeting, extended pokes, and controlled stick sweeps to
cover zones of the ice and take away lanes. New Creative A.I.
systems mean teammates now leverage the same tools as the player
for intelligent decision-making all over the ice, including
board passes and through-passing into space.
NHL® 18 introduces 3-on-3 hockey in two bold new ways. First,
NHL® THREES is an arcade-inspired experience with fast-paced,
over-the-top action that features faster gameplay, bigger hits
and high-scoring action. Players can choose modes between
fast-fun couch co-op and fully competitive online team play, or
dive into the new NHL® THREES circuit-style Campaign Mode to
compete against different teams and leagues in a circuit-style
journey where they can unlock objective-based rewards as they
progress through the campaign. Second, NHL® 18 adds an authentic
3-on-3 online team play option to the fan-favorite EA SPORTS
Hockey League mode, allowing for more open ice and strategic,
risk-vs-reward multiplayer competition.
Additional features include the new Expansion Draft coming to
Franchise Mode, Hockey Ultimate Team™ Solo Challenges, and a new
Hockey Training Camp designed to ensure players have immediate
success on the ice, and much more. NHL® 18 is also making it
easier than ever to play with or against friends, creating more
than 64 ways to team up and play on the couch or online, and
bringing co-op play to more modes including Hockey Ultimate
Team™, Online Vs. and NHL® THREES. See the full feature set
here.
NHL® 18 is available worldwide on September 15, 2017 for Xbox
One and PlayStation 4. Starting today, players can pre-order the
EA SPORTS NHL® 18 Young Stars Edition* and EA SPORTS NHL® 18
Young Stars Deluxe Edition*, which each include three days early
access to the full game starting September 12th and Connor
McDavid content, including a Connor McDavid Rookie HUT item, a
Connor McDavid celebration, and a custom HUT jersey designed by
adidas and Connor McDavid. The Young Stars Edition also features
20 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team and a Rookie HUT
item from a team of the player’s choice. The EA SPORTS NHL® 18
Young Stars Deluxe Edition includes all these perks plus an
additional 20 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team.
*Conditions and restrictions apply.