EA Sports delivers the most social Chel experience ever in EA SPORTS™NHL® 23, now available worldwide.
Powered by the Frostbite™ engine, NHL 23 truly shows how players are greater together with the introduction of women’s players to Hockey Ultimate Team, new levels of authenticity that include over 500 new last chance playmaking animations and deeper franchise mode customization available at launch, as well as cross-platform matchmaking coming to the game in November 2022.
To celebrate the launch, cover stars Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse, with Hilary Knight, Cabbie Richards and Paul “Biz” Bissonnette, will face off in 3v3 HUT match here.
“The NHL franchise has always prided itself on being one of the best team-based sports game experiences you can enjoy with friends, whether that friend is across the couch or the globe,” said Mike Inglehart, Creative Director, EA Vancouver.
“This year, NHL 23 continues to bring fans closer together with cross-platform matchmaking and the expanded feature set highlighting women’s hockey.”
For the first time ever, IIHF Women’s National Team members can now play alongside men in the same HUT squad, meaning players can line up Team Canada’s Sarah Nurse alongside Ducks phenom Trevor Zegras to make their very own dream team of the sport’s best players.
Beyond the ability to play together, both men’s and women’s national teams will continue to play an important role in the mode, as national team players will have both base and master items incorporated into HUT events.
Players can now also compete in a variety of new rotating game themes in HUT Rivals, and NHL 23 has introduced three new tiers of HUT Rivals Rewards based on wins or win streaks.
NHL 23 is back on the Frostbite™ engine for the second year, continuing to push the franchise forward as the most authentic and immersive hockey experience yet.
This latest iteration of the franchise introduces a fully interactive Stanley Cup Celebration where players will be able to choose who receives the Cup next as the crowd celebrates with sparklers and confetti and the commentary justifies your choice based on 65 complex stories accurate to your team.
Additionally, a post-game sequence will also feature your customized player’s name etched into the Stanley Cup.
NHL 23 has also revamped key moments like hat trick celebrations, giving them unprecedented levels of player customization and control, as well as overhauled levels of Crowd Awareness and Moment to Moment Reactions that will immerse players in the action like never before.
NHL 23 represents a massive leap in terms of visual richness with enhanced character details, with a new skin shading model and crucial details like the accumulation of sweat that changes how light reflects throughout the game.
The addition of Last Chance Puck Movement gameplay animations injects excitement into important in-game moments, with more than 500 new Stumble Action animations, loose puck plays and enhanced goalie AI.
Whereas contact in previous NHL instalments often resulted in a loss of offensive player control, Last Chance Puck Movement brings EA SPORTS NHL closer to the reality of on-ice hockey plays by allowing players to authentically react to contact and still create dynamic plays in the moment.
Coming in November 2022, the introduction of cross-platform matchmaking will further strengthen NHL 23’s position as a best-in-class social experience.
Cross-platform matchmaking will allow players to square off against opponents on the same console generation for World of Chel and HUT modes, creating larger player pools and shortening queue times to ensure players have more options to face off and spend less time waiting to take the ice. More information can be found here.
The fan-favourite Franchise Mode returns to NHL 23, now with deeper levels of customization than ever before for the most dedicated players to design a bespoke Chel experience.
New customization options include adjustments to the numbers of teams, games played, divisions, conferences, playoff rounds, league salary cap and more.
EA SPORTS NHL continues to offer HUT content migration to ensure a smooth experience for players across console generations.
Following a November update, players who start playing NHL 23 on PlayStation®4 or Xbox One will be able to transfer their HUT Team value and progress to the next generation of their respective platforms in PlayStation®5 or Xbox Series X|S.
Developed by EA Vancouver and EA Bucharest, EA SPORTS™NHL® 23is rated E10+, and is now available on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PlayStation®4 and Xbox One.
Also available now, the EA SPORTS NHL 23X-Factor Edition includes the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 or Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, 4600 NHL Points, five World of Chel X-Factor Zone Ability Unlocks, two Be A Pro X-Factor slot unlocks and XP Boost and Bonus Trait points.
For more details, please visit https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-23.
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