NHL 16 Reveals Full Feature Set

In hockey, success is a total team effort, the result of everyone understanding that you never do it alone. You have to play as a team and win as a team. This is something we took to heart when we started development on NHL 16.

First we looked to our biggest fans and asked them to be a part of our team. We spent more time listening and working with them this year than ever before. Their most requested features and modes are in NHL 16 and include new experiences that make NHL bigger and better. In Hockey Ultimate Team you’ll now be able to play through single player offline seasons. In Be a GM, not only will you navigate the motions of draft day and manage your AHL affiliate team, but now you can also manage the morale of individual players on your NHL roster throughout the season. Finally, Be a Pro brings back features like Sim to the Next Shift and the ability to start your career in the minors and also introduces a brand new progression system where how you play on the ice, shapes who you become in the NHL.

We know we can’t talk about team without mentioning the EA SPORTS Hockey League. This fan favorite mode has been reimagined to deliver a competitive and balanced experience.  We’re removing the progression grind, that our fans told us created an unbalanced online experience, in favor of a new player class system. These player classes will be tuned to play together, each bringing their own strengths to the ice. The new EA SPORTS Hockey League is all about putting together the right mix of classes to support your team’s playing style, and then stepping on to the ice and letting your skill, not ratings, be the differentiator between being good and being great.

But the new EASHL is just one of the many new ways you can compete as a team. NHL 16 brings back 6v6 online team play including goalies, and Online couch co-op, where you and up to 3 friends on the same console can compete online against another team of up to 4 players.

Team also carries through to the on the ice gameplay in NHL 16. We’re introducing new gameplay innovations on both offense and defense to deliver a balanced gameplay experience to make every position on the ice meaningful to your team’s success.

Finally, we’re continuing to bring the game to life with distinct arena atmospheres, the most realistic players yet, a story-driven commentary package, and for the first time ever introducing mascots to EA SPORTS NHL franchise.

With NHL 16, we dug deep to get a better understanding of our fans and as a result changed the way we build the game.  We’re adding breadth and depth to our game modes, while offering fans new experiences as well. And all of that is built on a strong foundation of presentation and gameplay that will let you play and win together.

Fans with any questions about NHL 16 or the EA SPORTS NHL franchise can visit our new Ask NHL portal. Our development team will be monitoring the site and responding to questions as frequently as possible.

We’re incredibly excited for NHL 16. Team has been the heart of hockey for as long as it’s existed, and this year it’s at the heart of NHL 16.

Dean Richards GM, EA SPORTS

Full list of game modes in NHL 16 below:

For more details on all NHL 16 modes and features, visit the NHL 16 website.

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