Ice hockey fans are allowed to look forward to an outdated part of the NHL series of EA. Because with the new engine and many fresh features NHL 22 will be one of the sports games that make the biggest jump compared to the previous year. Clement Kwong reveals some interesting details about the upcoming offshoot. We talked to him about the X factors, NHL status in Europe and Auston Matthews, who will once again be the cover star.
Mr. Kwong, destamently looking forward to NHL 22. What new feature would you describe as most important?
There is really a lot what we do this year – we work for the first time with the frostbite engine, we run on Next-Gen and we have a lot of great updates for our modes. But most of all I am looking forward to the superstar X factors and what they will mean for the whole game. We all know which influence star players have on the game and this year will really feel like their real role models. Each player will feel the influence of superstar X factors in the game.
You just suggested: What brings the new engine for the game?
Our goal is always EA Sports NHL to bring along as close as possible to the real NHL. This year we came so close to this goal as never before – it’s the biggest graphic jump in the history of the series. The player representation was revised, the environments have been redesigned and the dynamic lighting should give the player in front of the console feeling really in the arena.
Kwong is the chief producer at EA SPORTS for NHL. We talk to him about the coming NHL 22. Clement Kwong
NHL is significantly less popular in Europe than in Canada and North America. What could be done to address a broader audience?
The European player landscape is very important for the franchise. We experience a tremendous passion, actually all regions. We are proud of our strong partnerships with the European leagues, including the Champions Hockey League. Therefore, we will work together with all the leagues in the future so that other fans can be excited.
Are there plans to further promote NHL escort?
The NHL Gaming World Championship 2021, which was aligned by the NHL, has come to an end in the summer and it was exciting to see how many great players exist in North America and Europe in our game. I can not say anything about future tournaments, but we are all very optimistic about the espport.
How do you decide to players like Crosby or McDavid, which are all-rounder, which x-factor capabilities they assign them? Work with the players or NHL together to judge your skills, or make your own analysis?
The X factors of the superstars are based on their real role models and at the properties for which the top players of the league are known. When selecting the properties, we take into account a number of factors: player statistics, scouting reports and we are even large ice hockey fans, so we see many games and know what unique qualities have these stars. But we try to collect as many data and analysis as possible to play the capabilities of the stars as accurately as possible. I can already betray that the X factors will cover all positions and our fans can look forward to these stars.
Finally, Auston Matthews was already 2020 the cover star of the series. Why is he again the figurehead of the game?
This is a good question, which causes great discussions in the community every year. There are a lot of great players we look at – and many that would have earned. Since the X factors are a big topic this year and we know Auston’s unique skills, we simply think that he fits very well for this year’s title.
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