Better Gameplay Could Save NHL 24

Gameplay is without a doubt the most core component to any video game. Ask fans of Cyberpunk 2077 if they liked the game's graphics or gameplay more and you’ll understand why it’s so important. If you release a game that’s broken, glitchy, and overall a letdown to play, then you’ll have a game that players are fed up with. Which leads us to NHL 23 and it’s gameplay.

NHL 23 was filled with a bunch of glitches, weirdly timed animations, and collisions that just seemed whack. Overall it gave the game a really unrealistic feel and took away from the authentic feel NHL games used to have. So it goes without question in saying that improved gameplay is a key aspect for NHL gaming, we’ve already established that. However, what would NHL 24 benefit from directly if the gameplay was drastically improved?

Improving the life of the NHL cycle is a huge task that EA needs to work on, and improved gameplay can help extend this. In previous NHL installments, game modes such as HUT were still fairly popular well into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the game slowly dying off around late June after the draft. For NHL 23, we saw a significant drop off of players in the HUT player base as early as February. The image below from twitch trackers shows that in February 2023, average concurrent viewers on NHL 23 channels dropped almost 25%. While HUT may not be the most well received game mode, no one can deny it’s one of the most popular modes for players. Improving gameplay overall would help the longevity of not just HUT, but the entire game as a whole. 

Making a game that is well received by fans and players alike is huge for EA Sports this upcoming year. As mentioned previously, having a game that just feels broken, glitchy, and inconsistent is a recipe for disaster in the gaming world, but NHL also has the added problem of staleness. The game has lacked major updates or revamps to most of its modes, and those that have been put in have been measly at best. For context: NHL 23’s audience reviews on Google are a measly 1.5 out of 5 stars. When you look at NHL 22’s, an arguably worse game, it’s rated 1.7 out of 5 stars. NHL fans will not put up with another stale game, but if the gameplay is drastically improved then NHL 24 will be far well received.

While the NHL 23 Gaming World Championship overall was an improvement from previous World Championships, the path to the finals was paved with slow playstyles, glitch goals, and costly animations. Just take a look at the comments in any tweet from the NHL about the World Championship and you'll see for yourself. This isn't the players fault at all, as when you're the best at NHL gaming you need to adapt to what works, and unfortunately what works is slow playstyles and glitch goals. If we we're to receive a drastic positive change to gameplay in NHL 24, this would lead to a much better product on the "main stage" of NHL gaming. More refined gameplay that rewards players for actually playing hockey, instead of waiting for an opening to perform a glitch goal, or those forced goals that seem way too unrealistic. Having the best gameplay possible means the top players are able to play their best while keeping the authentic feel of hockey, and if NHL 24 hits on this then next year's World Championship will be much better received. 

As one of the most core components of any video game, gameplay needs to be at minimum "good" in order for any game to have a chance at being well received. With EA focusing on NHL 24 even from the very launch of NHL 23, there's optimism in the winds. Good, or even great gameplay may just mean we could have one of the best NHL games in the past decade.