OFFICIAL Leaguegaming NHL 22 direction | Xbox Next Gen | PSN PS4

Hello Everyone,

After a deep internal debate, analyzing our data , issuing projections and comparing them with our own goals for this year we've come up with our plan on moving to NHL 22.

For all Xbox leagues (LGHL + esports), we intend these leagues to run on Xbox Series S|X (Next gen)
For all PSN League (LGHL + esports) we intend these leagues to run on PS4.

Things to note

• For PSN, this is for LGHL Seasons 18,19 & 20. We will review going to PS5 for NHL 23 next year.
  
• For all esports leagues, we will advise to use the consoles above but those NHL teams or partners will have the final say.

We will reserve the right to review moving LGHL Xbox to next gen by mid to late OCT if we feel we've miscalculated and we will not reach our number goals detailed below.

How did we come to this decision?

This choice was not without deep debate internally for months, and was not made lightly or without a analyzing data we had and understanding our users and the current market place and economy.
With the limited availability of PS5, it was determined that keeping all PSN leagues committed to PS4 was the correct choice.

However on the Xbox side, Console availability is still low, but not to the same level as PS5. There are a lot of tools and trackers to help you find a console if you are looking
https://www.leaguegaming.com/forums/index.php?threads/xbox-next-gen-inventory-tracker.335428/
and by announcing Xbox leagues on next gen, this gives our community 2+ months to hopefully secure a next gen console.

Here are some of the factors on why we decided on Xbox Next Gen

• We estimate that by Nov of this year, 62%-72% of our xbox users will be on next gen. The magic number we hope to achieve for signups for LGHL Season 40 is 2,800 users. 2,800 users would have us at 63% of our season 38 numbers (S38 always the highest # of signups).
  We know we will lose a lot of people who will not have next gen by Nov, we estimate that number as as high as 30%. We also believe that out of all the next gen users, 10-15% wont want to play old gen or buy the x-factor version. So the difference in users we are looking at is roughly 15-20%. This is the best to worse case and the number that helped us shape this decision.
• Upgrade Entitlement only on x-factor version. One of our original plans was to move to next gen in the winter season (Season 41), However we think it is unfair for our community members to have to buy the x-factor version ($130cad) to support this jump. We know our hardcore members all buy this version anyway but a lot of casual members only have the standard version. Because of this, members might be forced to buy 2 versions of the same game. We would rather members put that money towards a next gen console, something they would use for another 5-10 years vs rewarding a company who's put users in this spot. The Upgrade entitlement should have been a free item in the standard version of the game.
• Esports and LGHL should be the same console. Esports is always about the best players playing the game to its absolute best. Because of this esports events naturally should be on the latest and greatest. It would be awkward if users are playing esports events on next gen and then having to go back to old gen to play LGHL. Users would certainly look less forward to LGHL nights, and maintaining 2 separate builds is also a factor.
• Offering users both next gen and current gen. We believe by having Xbox next gen and PSN last gen, this does give some users an opportunity to still take part in the LG services and leagues. For some users who wish to not yet make the jump, perhaps they have a ps4, or can obtain one fairly cheap, and still play 3 seasons in the LGHL PSN.

Projections

We project the first season of the XBOX LGHL (S40) will take a hit in numbers, But we believe these numbers will grow as seasons and events continue throughout the year

• Season 40 - We Project 2,800 users, or roughly 62%-72% of current xbox users
• Season 41 - 3,000-3,200 users or 68-75% of current xbox users
• Season 42 - 3,300+ or 75%+ of current xbox users

Conclusion

Although moving to next gen is always a struggle, we are forced to play the hand we were given. We believe this decision is what is best for our community moving forward all while maintaining the highest standard for leagues and esports events.

Thank you for your continued support, and interesting in Leaguegaming!