The cutting-edge Real Player Motion (RPM) Tech continues to evolve the way that gamers showcase their mastery. This year’s gameplay introduces Signature Shots that replicate the most recognizable shot styles of the biggest NHL stars, including PK Subban’s booming slapshot wind-up, Auston Matthews’ half toe-drag wrist shot, and Alex Ovechkin’s seamless one-timer. Hundreds of new shot animations allow for more dangerous attacks, and RPM Tech-powered overhauls to passing and puck pick-ups create a faster and more fluid game that can be executed at full speed to replicate real NHL action. New goaltender A.I. includes a full offensive threat analysis, allowing netminders to read and react to the development and threat level of each zone entry.

NHL 20 also introduces an all-new competitive way to play ONES and THREES called Eliminator, creating a winner-take-all competition inspired by battle royale. ONES Eliminator pits 81 players against each other in a survival tournament bracket en route to crowning the ultimate winner. Players can also squad up with friends in THREES Eliminator in an attempt to win back-to-back rounds against increasingly competitive opponents.

Continuing to deliver a fresh feel to the franchise, a revamped broadcast package delivers new play-by-play and color commentary to NHL 20, paired with overhauled scoreboards, overlays and motion graphics, all built to put players in the center of the game’s biggest moments. New to NHL 20, Play Of The Game brings memorable plays to life through highlights designed to put top moments on a pedestal for both your teammates and opponents.

EA SPORTS NHL 20 is introducing a new online mode to the popular Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT), bringing HUT Rivals to the series for the first time. HUT Rivals allows players to compete at a specific level online and get rewarded. In addition to divisional progression and rewards, HUT Rivals also progresses players against HUT Champions qualification, the pinnacle of competition in Hockey Ultimate Team.

There are three different types of progress that will be affected after each HUT Rivals game:

• Skill Rating: this rating determines the division you compete in, ensuring you are competing against players of a similar skill level. After each game your skill rating will increase or decrease, based on your performance.
• Rivals Points: these points will determine the weekly rewards that you get - for example, accumulate points in the top 15% of your division to earn the top rewards. You earn Rivals Points after every game. Your Rivals Points refresh at the start of every week.
• HUT Champions Points: these points accumulate over time, progressing you towards HUT Champions qualification. After you reach 2,000 HUT Champions points, you can redeem them for access to a weekend league of your choosing.

Players can jump into the new online mode starting October 25.

Your HUT Rivals career starts by playing five placement games, which will determine the Division you start in. Placement games are intended to calibrate your Skill Rating and start you out in the right Division. This should result in finding more evenly-matched games against other users when compared with a mode like Online Seasons (where all users start in Division 10).

Once you’ve played your five placement games, you’ll be given a Skill Rating, which determines your Division. Your Division determines the rewards you’ll be playing for each week. The higher your division, the better your rewards.

Your Skill Rating continues to calibrate with every HUT Rivals game. Skill Rating will increase with a win, and decrease with a loss. The amount your Skill Rating increases or decreases depends on the Skill Rating of your opponent, meaning your Skill Rating will increase more when beating a higher-rated opponent, and decrease more when losing to a lower-rated opponent.

If your Skill Rating increases enough, you’ll be promoted one Division, but if it decreases too much, you’ll be relegated one Division lower. 

Weekly Competition

When you play your first HUT Rivals game each week, you’ll be placed in a Weekly Competition based on your current Division. Each Division has its own its own leaderboard which contains all players in the Division. The leaderboard is split into Ranks much like Squad Battles but without individual ranks in the Top 100.

As you play Rivals games you’ll earn Rivals Points (RP). Your total Rivals Points for the week determine your Weekly Rank.

• Win: 500 Rivals Points
• OT Win: 400 Rivals Points
• OT Loss: 200 Rivals Points
• Loss: 150 Rivals Points
• Goals Scored: 90 Rivals Points per goal (up to a max. of 5 per game)

You’ll also earn 400 Rivals Points per HUT Champions game played (win or loss), this helps ensure you don’t miss out on Rivals rewards by participating in HUT Champions.

Ranks

• Diamond: Top 15% of Users in Division
• Platinum: Top 40% of Users in Division
• Gold: Top 75% of Users in Division
• Silver: Top 90% of Users in Division
• Bronze: Bottom 10% of Users in Division

Note that while you can be promoted or relegated after any HUT Rivals game, you’ll remain in your initial division’s Weekly Competition until the start of the following week’s competition. For example, if a player is in Division 4 at the start of the week, but is relegated to Division 5 based on performance mid-week, they will still be eligible for Division 4 rewards.

Rewards

HUT Rivals rewards are available to claim within 48 hours of the Weekly Competition ending. The Weekly Competition will start and finish on Tuesday at 2pm PT each week, meaning rewards should be available by Thursday at 2pm PT.

When you finish in one of the Top 3 Ranks in a Division (Diamond, Platinum, or Gold), you’ll be given different reward options to choose from.

1. Tradeable Packs - Pack Rewards that are tradeable
2. Untradeable Packs - Double the Pack Rewards as above but untradeable
3. Coins - Half of the value from Option #1, but all coins to spend how you choose

Weekly Rivals Game Cap

Each Rivals week you’ll be able to play up to 50 games per week earning Rivals Points. If you manage to play 50 games, you can still continue to play Rivals games to progress your Skill Rating and earn HUT Champions Points, but you will not earn more Rivals points for the week.

This ‘soft cap’ is in place to keep the Rivals Points required to rank up within a reasonable limit for the majority of HUT players. There is no requirement to play all 50 games, and this will only be displayed in the post-game screen as you’re close to the limit.

HUT Champions Qualification

HUT Rivals introduces a new way for all players to qualify for HUT Champions.

Each game played in HUT Rivals will earn HUT Champions Points. Once you reach 2,000 HUT Champions Points, you’ll be able to redeem them for Qualification into a HUT Champions Event. The amount of HUT Champions Points you earn each game scales up with each Division, so you’ll earn entry to HUT Champions much quicker playing in the higher Divisions than you will in lower Divisions. 

Division	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
HUT Champions Points per Win	20	25	30	40	50	65	80	125	250	500

You can redeem your HUT Champions Points at anytime, but you can’t earn more than 2,000 points, so you’ll need to redeem them before continuing to earn more.

If you participate in HUT Champions, you’ll also be able to earn bonus HUT Champions Points as a reward. While previously the Top 250 players each week in HUT Champions would receive a Qualification Collectible for next week’s HUT Champions Event, now the Top 250 players will receive a 2,000 HUT Champions Points item. This item can be redeemed at anytime, so if you aren’t able to play next weekend you won’t be missing out.

Note: All tuning values mentioned are subject to change through the year.

Three-time All-Star and former first overall pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews, was revealed as the NHL 20 cover athlete while taking the stage at this evening’s NHL Awards.

Fan-favorite game modes Hockey Ultimate Team and NHL ONES return with exciting new options and updates, including the ability to play ONES via local multiplayer with class-based NHL stars, creating the opportunity to challenge friends to a 1v1v1 battle at any moment. Hockey Ultimate Team introduces a new way to play in Squad Battles, the highly acclaimed mode from EA Sports FIFA that allows players to compete and earn big rewards in offline battles. New opponents are refreshed every day, including weekly Featured Squads assembled by NHL players, hot musical artists, hockey influencers, and superstar athletes from other major sports. Squad Battles introduces a brand new way to take on the best teams assembled by the biggest names in sports and entertainment. Hockey Ultimate Team also welcomes a new roster of playable hockey Icons, bringing the total number of collectible and playable Icons to over 400.

After its introduction last year, the World of CHEL continues to evolve with CHEL Challenges, weekly in-game events across all of fan favorite modes that unlock unique customization rewards, character XP and more are introduced in NHL 20. World of CHEL now offers over 2,000 unique customization items to craft your look and your playstyle - from gear and equipment, to lifestyle apparel from hockey’s biggest brands. Additionally, four new outdoor locations bring the game to never-before-seen ponds in the remote wilderness and city landmarks inspired by iconic locations.

NHL 20 will be available for Xbox One and PS4 on September 13, 2019. Be among the first to experience the new modes and innovations, unlocking the full game three days early on September 10, 2019 when you pre-order the NHL 20 Deluxe Edition or NHL 20 Ultimate Edition. EA Access members can experience the game first during the Play First Trial starting on September 5, 2019 and receive a 10% discount when purchasing the full game.