NHL 22 isn’t just the 31st game in the NHL franchise. It’s also the first time that EA is going to use its proprietary Frostbite in-game engine for NHL. It is the same engine that EA uses for some of its biggest titles like Battlefield, which means that players can expect NHL 22 to be the best-looking NHL game yet. If you’d like to know more about NHL 22, we encourage you to scroll down and read below.
What’s new in NHL 22?
As promised, EA revealed NHL 22 for audiences to see and it did not disappoint. Because of the switch to the Frostbite engine, NHL 22 will bring players to virtual life with the type of detail that’s never been seen in the franchise before. In addition to this, the players in NHL 22 will reportedly come with enhanced spatial awareness, making it feel like they are tracking and reacting to the world in real-time. The switch to the more powerful Frostbite engine also means that players can expect to use better on-ice gameplay and more physically accurate interactions. But, that’s not all. EA also revealed that it’s going to introduce Superstar X-Factors to NHL 22. This new feature is exclusive to some of the best players in the game. The system adds traits to these special athletes based on their individual skills in real life, allowing these players to elevate and separate themselves above everyone else. According to EA, the addition of Superstar X-Factors will help spice up gameplay across NHL 22’s various modes such as Franchise Mode, Be A Pro, Hocket Ultimate Team, and World of Chel.
When is the NHL 22 release date?
EA Vancouver’s vice president and general manager for the NHL franchise, Sean Ramjagsingh, explained that NHL 22 will offer “full feature parity” across all console versions at launch on October 15, 2021. Now, what does this mean? Well, to put it simply, the current-gen and last-gen versions will be the same. This is unlike what EA did with Madden NFL and FIFA, where the company locked the Xbox Series S/X and PS5 versions behind a higher price. Instead, all players on the PS4, PS5, and Xbox One, as well as Xbox Series S/X will get the same version. Of course, those on current-gen consoles will benefit from the more powerful hardware of their machines. So, while NHL 22 will look better than NHL 21, even on the PS4 and Xbox One, NHL 22 will still perform and look best on the Xbox Series S/X and PS5, as it should. Finally, Auston Matthews will return as the cover athlete for NHL 22 just two years after gracing the cover of NHL 20.
