NHL 21, the next game in Electronic Arts' long-running hockey simulator, will only premiere on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, not next-gen systems. When it comes to EA's sports franchises, the NHL is not always the one that comes to mind. Much like the competition that inspires it, the NHL series often takes a backseat to games based on Football, Soccer and other, more popular sports.
While NHL 21 hasn't officially been announced beyond today's news, fans had reason to worry about an release. Because of the global pandemic, many games are being delayed past their scheduled ship dates. In addition, the sport of Hockey is currently delayed, with no word on whether teams will start a new season in a few months. Because of this, the updates to the yearly title will be smaller than usual thanks to a static roster from last year's NHL 20. While there will be some gameplay innovation, the release will likely feel less essential to anyone but the most diehard fans.
On an thanks to forward compatibility that's coming standard on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, early adopters of the new consoles will still have the option to play the game without fret, but the game won't be purpose-built for next-gen hardware.
In the second part of the post, the developers inform fans that NHL 21 will not land in its usual September launch window. The delay is only for a month, with the game now releasing sometime in October of this year. The team promises a more in-depth reveal for NHL 21 in late August, and they say that the delay will allow the team "a few extra weeks to do the polish, fine-tuning and bug fixing." In an encouraging message, despite having to transition to a work-from-home environment, the game is still feature-complete as of now, so it's unlikely that there will be further delays keeping hockey fans from their yearly digital exhibitions.
Considering how EA Sports has continued to strip tertiary franchises over the years, it's heartening that there is going to be an NHL 21 on store shelves this holiday. While not everyone's favorite sport, watching grown men skate on the ice and slam into boards is a fun alternative to more popular competition, and it has inspired wonderful art in many media. Additionally, because the game is focusing on current-gen systems, NHL 21 may avoid the next-gen curse that strips down sports games to their bare essentials whenever a new machine is released. Having a fully-featured hockey game in 2020 would certainly be a goal worth working towards.
NHL 21 will release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 among other possible platforms in October. The game will be formally revealed in late August.
