NHL 21 trailer reveals October release date for PS4 and Xbox One

NHL 21, the 30th entry in EA Sports’ annual hockey franchise, will be released on October 16 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, publisher Electronic Arts announced Monday.

Alexander Ovechkin, the future infallible Washington Capitals Hall of Fame, will be the cover athlete of the game. This is the second time Ovi has sported the cover of an EA Sports NHL title; it has already appeared on the box for 2006 NHL 07, before his second year in the league. Ovechkin, who turns 35 next month and sports salt and pepper hair these days, is perhaps the greatest pure goalscorer in NHL history. He has accumulated 706 goals in 16 seasons and – as an extremely durable player, having never missed more than 10 games in a season – he has a real chance to eclipse Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals. in career (a Gretzky brand spanning 20 seasons).

“It’s a huge honor to be on the cover of NHL 21 for the second cover of my career, ”Ovechkin said in a statement. “Most importantly, I’m glad I looked as good on the cover this year as I did in 2007 !!!”

NHL 21The first trailer for, which you can watch above, is all about Ovechkin, chronicling his rise to fame as a scoring machine (including footage of some of his most mind-boggling goals). Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals since 2010, has spent his entire career there since the team drafted him No. 1 overall in 2004; he led the Caps to their first Stanley Cup in 2018.

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EA Sports NHL developers from EA Vancouver “Mapped Game Innovation vs. Game-Changing Impact [Ovechkin] has had on sports, ”EA said in its press release. This year, it takes the form of something fans of the franchise have been clamoring for for ages: a revamp of the single player career mode, Be a Pro.

“Our community has demanded an invigorating Be A Pro experience that puts them in the same spotlight as their favorite NHL stars like Alex Ovechkin,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, executive producer of NHL 21. “Ovechkin’s gameplay legacy, on and off the ice, helps us bring the next generation of EA SPORTS NHL gameplay to life with NHL 21. “

The integration of off-ice action into Be a Pro is a natural evolution of the mode. It looks like this year’s iteration will feature cutscenes – one of the screenshots posted on Monday is an overview of the Capitals locker room – and interactions (such as press conferences and conversations with members. staff) that offer dialogue choices that can shape your player’s career. Here is the EA description of Be a Pro in NHL 21:

A whole new Be A Pro experience gives you the chance to live the life of an NHL player, on and off the ice. Impress the front office, set off early on Draft Day, and set off in pursuit of greatness by earning your spot on the front row, competing for the Stanley Cup and becoming the next best in the league. Recognize the future with Be A Pro in NHL 21.

Image: EA Vancouver / Electronic Arts

EA Vancouver also offers some promising gameplay enhancements, such as the ability to land reel-worthy dekes (and more pedestrians, like a quick movement to pass a defender after you’ve skinned the puck). As for the defensive side of hockey, NHL 21 players should expect goalies to be even harder to score.

Other new features in NHL 21 include the arrival of the transaction deadline as an event in franchise mode; Ranked Seasons, which will be available in all four game modes of the World of Chel online sequel; and HUT Rush, a “simplified version” of Ultimate Team Hockey mode.

NHL 21 only arrives on PS4 and Xbox One. Unlike Madden and FIFA, EA Sports’ two much more popular annual franchises, it won’t be making the jump to next-gen consoles this year. (EA handled the previous generational transition, in 2013-14, in a similar fashion. It didn’t go very well for NHL 15, the first release in the series on current consoles, but we’ll have to see how things play out this time around.) However, the Xbox One box art for NHL 21 note that the game will be playable on Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Sony has yet to announce details on how the PlayStation 5 will handle PS4 games.

In case you were wondering, yes: October 16 is about a month later that EA typically releases their play in the NHL. The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on the world in general and the world of sport in particular, of course. The playoffs for the 2019-20 NHL season are underway, and the league has tentatively scheduled the start of its 2020-21 regular season for December 1. So it’s no surprise that things are a bit hinky this year.

Update: Asked about NHL 21The company’s later release date, said a representative from Electronic Arts, “COVID affected everyone and we had to make adjustments to WFH, which affected our development timelines, but we are proud of the way we were able to do it. and how we got more time to release our game. ”

The spokesperson also said that EA did not disclose NHL 21 so far because the event the company usually plans its reveal around – the NHL Awards, which typically take place in June after the playoffs are over – has been canceled this year.