NHL 27 has been announced with Macklin Celebrini as its cover athlete. The game will release on September 11 with early access hitting seven days early on September 4 for Deluxe Edition owners. NHL 27 will be overhauling its look and feel with what many could say is a “throwback”. Highlighting this year is the return of Connected Franchise and a return to a television presentation style that features two new commentators who are synonymous with the sport. More authenticity will be incorporated thanks to NHL Edge data and more realistic atmospheres to provide a whole new feel to the series.
The Focus on Television Presentation
A much more serious score bug and presentation overlay is being added to NHL 27. No longer will there be an overlay with an eSports feel, but rather a dark, slick and dramatic overlay that looks like it was pulled from the TNT broadcast. The development team wants the NHL television experience, and this is further highlighted by its selected commentators for the game. John Buccigross and Darren Pang will be the two commentators for NHL 27, and they worked on revamping the broadcast experience directly with the development team to shape the presentation for the game.
Players can look forward to new player highlights, goalie introductions, and dynamic cut scenes to provide more variety. The dev team stated in a recent virtual preview event that players will notice something different every time. The goal is to eliminate repetition. During the previous generation of the series, the game featured the NBC license and full-motion video introductions to the games. This remained repetitive for a few years until the NHL went with another television contract and EA decided to do its own for the game. This would conclude officially with NHL 26.
Every Team is its Own Unique Team
Sounds a bit like EA SPORTS College Football, right? Well, that’s not a bad thing. 32 teams will have 32 different identities in NHL 27, and this is accomplished by both NHL Edge data and a new focus on authentic arena atmospheres at an individual level. The goal was to capture the culture of each rink. NHL hockey in 2027 is not the same as it was in 1998. It is more of a spectacle and this starts with a new Dynamic Lighting Model and a Cinematic Orchestrator System.
32 teams will have 32 different identities in NHL 27, and this is accomplished by both NHL Edge data and a new focus on authentic arena atmospheres at an individual level.
The game will feature a new dynamic crowd system, so nothing will be the same in terms of capturing the atmosphere. This is inn place to generate models, animations, reactions and mascot appearances. Official arena landmarks will also be included, such as the Vegas designs, the lighthouse on Long Island, cannon in Columbus and the shark head for the San Jose Sharks. The team also went out and got licensed goal and hype songs, so no more random soundtrack music for goal scoring. This is definitely the direction College Football took in its authenticity, and its coming to NHL.
“Seeing the Shark Tank brought to life like that is honestly unreal,” said Macklin Celebrini, NHL 27 cover athlete. “The detail the studio team put into it — from our pre-game entrance skating out through the shark head and the iconic lighting on each seat throughout the stadium to hearing our goal song every time we score — it feels exactly like being out there for a real game. They really captured the atmosphere. Sharks fans are going to load it up and feel like they’re right there in the building with us, and that’s pretty special.”
New Highlights for NHL 27
- Presentation experience
- Authentic stadium atmospheres
- Connected Franchise
- Unique playbooks
- Team tendencies
- Licensed goal songs and horns
- Cinematic Orchestrator System
- Dynamic Lighting Model
NHL Edge Data and Connected Franchise
Last year, the dev team utilized NHL Edge data to implement its player tendencies, which did make a difference in gameplay. Now, going even further with the data will be team likeness. This starts with 32 different playbooks and you will be able to see how each team actually plays. No, hockey doesn’t have the deep playbook of football, but there are plays and ways teams behave that will be mimicked in NHL 27. The development team stated that there will be more “hockey-like” moments that look like how the team actually acts.
Finally, Connected Franchise is returning to NHL 27. You will be able to play Franchise Mode online with others ranging from 3-31 players. The goal is to make this approachable and leave the door open for feedback as the mode will continue to evolve over the coming years. Menus will be quick and you will be able to build a league in just a few minutes. Players can play how they like in terms of availability. More details will be coming on the mode with a Deep Dive coming in August. Other Deep Dives include presentation and gameplay.
