Electronic Arts is creating the most intense NHL game yet with EA Sports NHL 24, revealing Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar, whose world class on-ice skills exemplify the type of hard-checking and game-changing features that will be a part of EA Sports NHL 24, has been named the cover athlete for this year’s game.

NHL 24 feels like hockey and brings the rush and fatigue of high-pressure games to life. The brand-new Exhaust Engine - powered by Frostbite - includes the Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue systems to let players experience concentrated moments of intensity that hockey is known for. Through the Sustained Pressure System, offensive players who keep pressure on in the attack zone are rewarded and will trigger the Sustained Pressure perk, lowering their opponent’s attributes for a limited time and creating more space for movement and setting up plays. With the Goalie Fatigue System, the more pucks you put on net, the more fatigue the opponent’s goalie will experience. This will affect the netminder’s ability to react to shots as they wear down over time and upwards of 75 new goalie animations will help bring this in-game storyline to life.

With overhauled physics and animations, Physics-Based Contact will revolutionize physical contact and deliver realistic body checks like never before. New animation-based reactions create big moments at any point in the game, and allow players to open up more turnover opportunities with bigger checks. For those that like to get physical, players can now break the glass and send their opponent to the bench.

Just ahead of the world wide release of EA Sports NHL 24 on October 6, the National Hockey League today announced that its annual esports initiative – the EA Sports NHL 24 World Championship – will return to the virtual ice for another unpredictable, fist-pumping, action-packed hockey season.

The annual tournament, which showcases the best EA Sports NHL 24 players in the world, is scheduled to open registration in December, with gameplay scheduled to begin in January. This season’s #NHL24WC will comprise a number of new features, including six players total (4 North American, 2 European) advancing to the World Final event to compete in-person for the elusive World Championship title, Championship belt and grand prize.

“Adding the 32 Club Championship events during last season’s competition was a very successful way to increase the opportunity for the NHL gaming community to get involved,” said Chris Golier, NHL Group Vice President of Business Development and Technology Partnerships. “We continue to stress fun and inclusiveness when finalizing our season format and this season’s tournament should provide everyone with memorable experiences.”

Additional tournament details – including the registration process, new seeding structure, full event calendar, rules and regulations, and live stream schedule – will be announced in the coming weeks. But here’s what you need to know, now:

• There will once again be in-person or online esports tournaments for each of the 32 NHL Clubs, with both the Club Champion and Club runner-up (NEW this year) automatically qualifying for the EA Sports NHL 24 North American Championship knockout round (where they will receive a higher seeding than Online Open qualifiers).
• The North American tournament also will feature an in-person NHL 24 WC qualifying event at the 2024 Rogers (Canada) / Honda (U.S) NHL All-Star Weekend (Feb. 1-4) in Toronto, Ont. The top four players from this event will win top seed positions for the NHL 24 North American Console Finals phase.
• This season’s 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series esports event will not be an NHL24WC qualifier. The Club Championship winner from the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils will compete in a mini-tournament live during the weekend to determine the Stadium Series Champion -- who will not only take home bragging rights, but also a cool outdoor hockey experience and commemorative trophy.
• In addition to qualifying during the traditional Online Open Play phase, the European side of the tournament will comprise two Open Play events – New Year’s Tournament and EU Chel Challenge – where both the winner and runner-up for each console (PlayStation®5 / Xbox Series X|S) will automatically advance to Bracket Play with a higher seed standing.
• All events will be played on New Gen consoles only (PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) with improved cross-play capabilities. New this year, EA Sports NHL 24 lets you play with and against players across same-generation Sony and Microsoft consoles in HUT and WOC for the most connected Chel experience yet.
• Players will compete in all EA Sports NHL 24 World Championship qualifiers for the North American Console Final and the European Console Final using Hockey Ultimate Team (“HUT”) mode.
• In-person events for the North American Championship, European Championship and World Final will be played solely on the PS5 console.
• Player feedback encouraged a more condensed schedule, so the NHL24 World Championship will conclude in April to correspond with the end of the NHL’s regular season.

With enhanced gameplay features that allow players to take their skills to an all-new level, there was no better cover star for this year’s game than the multi-talented Cale Makar whose vision, dynamic puck abilities and total control on the ice is represented in the on-ice improvements seen in EA SPORTS NHL 24. Cale Makar is one of the league’s most exciting players and has already racked up numerous accomplishments in his young career, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022 and taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player of his team at the conclusion of the playoffs.

Key Features:

• All-New Gameplay Features: A suite of new gameplay features brings an unprecedented level of control to NHL 24. With the new Exhaust Engine, players can experience a complete revamp of the EA Sports NHL gameplay experience that rewards extended offensive events and attack zone time, adding a dynamic new layer of authenticity and excitement to the game. Once the in-game Sustained Pressure System is triggered, a visual meter will indicate that Full Pressure is active resulting in the beneficial Adrenaline effect for the offensive team and the challenging Pinned effect for the defending team. The new Goalie Fatigue System affects the netminder’s ability to react to shots as they get worn down over time, which encourages players to constantly keep up the pressure and get more pucks on the net. Total Control Skill Moves completely refresh the control setup and make highlight-reel moves more intuitive and accessible, while the Vision Passing System remaps face buttons to teammates, allowing for more direct passing and the ability to pass anywhere at any time on the ice.
• Updated Human Goalie Controls make playing in goal more accessible and intuitive, with features such as the new Tethered Control System allowing players to slide back and forth to make saves and then auto-returning back to a centered position. Additionally, the new Instinct System gives players the opportunity to guess the location of the shot for a bonus on their save attempt.
• Hockey Ultimate Team: EA Sports NHL 24 has introduced the all-new HUT Moments, which lets players recreate and share classic moments in hockey history and today’s biggest plays. NHL 24 also introduces a new real-time objective-tracking system based on item types, teams, players, and on-ice actions, all while updating player progress in-game. The new system will enable players to keep active track of their tasks and objectives, allowing them to stay focused on the exciting on-ice action.
• World of Chel: This latest iteration of the EA Sports NHL franchise also delivers the most dynamic Word of Chel yet, with enhanced cross-play giving players more ways for players to connect, better matchmaking and improvements to Creation Zone to give players more customization. An update to EASHL Playoffs introduces an authentic, streamlined do-or-die 16-game path to the title, allowing players to earn Ranking Points as they make their way through the bracket. NHL 24 introduces the WOC Battle Pass, which lets players play their way through action-packed seasons at free and premium levels, and WOC Storefront updates give players even more items to outfit their character with as well as access to exclusive new premium bundles of custom characters, player banners and more.
• Modernized Presentation: With all-new presentation updates, players will feel more immersed than ever in the game of hockey. This year’s presentation introduces Flex Moments, a broadcast that feels more alive than ever with over 75 new goal celebration animations, camera angles, lighting effects and the ability for players to map their celebration to their controller so they can flex how they want when they want. New waves of event reactions support significant stoppages, rushes down the ice, Exhaust Engine peaks and dramatic comeback moments, making this by far the most energetic Chel crowd to date. Plus, Dynamic Rink Boards expand the augmented reality broadcast and communicate key on-ice moments, from delayed penalties, goal summaries, stat milestones and vanity backdrops to accentuate those big Flex Moments.

Fans that pre-order NHL 24 will get a variety of bonus in-game content. The EA Sports NHL 24 X-Factor Edition includes the PS4 and PS5 or Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, three days of early access, 4600 NHL Points, exclusive Cale Makar player item, HUT Power-Up Icon of choice and WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier x5. Players can also get a pre-order loyalty offer to receive a 10% off pre-order of the NHL 24 X-Factor Edition. All pre-order editions and information can be found here.

EA Play members can get more out of NHL 24 with three days of early access, and member-only rewards throughout the season.

EA Sports NHL 24 is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on October 6, 2023.