Hi all, Just was looking at the sales numbers for the NHL series on the Xbox 360. Can you tell nobody liked the new skating? No wonder the community is so small now... NHL 10 - 0.64 million NHL 11 - 0.70 million NHL 12 - 0.65 million, NHL 13 - 0.59 million NHL 14 - 0.35 million Source: http://www.vgchartz.com/game/72079/nhl-14/
I think it could be the new skating as well as the growing popularity of other game series, such as Call of Duty and other sports games (FIFA especially).
I think the problem is that no ones willing to jump in and commit to learning how to properly play the game at this point, think if you skiped 09 all the way till now, and you tryed to play. None of your RL friends would play with you because you're awful and only have a rookie one. Where as in Cod you can jump right in with the best and just play casually with no problem. I think this game should allow anyone to be a ledgend 3 right of the bat in otp or somthing like that. Because starting to play the best part of this game with no card and skill is nearly impossible.
Totally agree, at least in regards to EASHL. I have a few friends who'd like to play, but they cannot commit the 150 hours it takes to become competitive. They will prob play 150 hours all year, so it's just not worth it for them. They are good at the buttons too, just don't have the time or will to get beat down for hours upon hours. @Maverick - uh yeah...but no.
Very interesting. A couple people I know cite redundancy as the reason they do not buy a new NHL each year. My brother, who doesn't play online, can't justify paying $60 a year for a roster update and some minor tweaks.
They've made the game an abortion lets be real...in 09 everyone was excited for the EASHL it innovated the way sports games were played, what have they done with it since? Instead of a yearly playoff for 6s with a prize (ie: something to play for) we got monthly playoffs, when that was said to be a joke, they gave us weekly playoffs. Other than that, whats changed for the best mode in any sports game? Nothing for the better! Gameplay wise, its all set up for casual players. More auto animations now than ever before. Personally i love the new skating. The issue is you need a perfect connection for it to respond the way it should. Being from vancouver playimg 6s on the east servers, i can attest to the servers being on decline each and every year. So yes the series is seeing declines in sales, but EA deserves it. They've neglected the game mode and fan base that made the series great in the first place. Sad but true, i got a free copy as part of their at home survey this year and id provide feedback with links and ideas i myself had and others from the community had. In response, they sent a message saying to keep the feedback to gameplay issues and glitches. If next gen isnt a turnaround for this series i can see it dying off completely.
FIFA, Madden, Call Of Duty, and Battlefield are in equal slumps. The gameplay for all these games is tired and old. Loyal players are worn out and new players don't enjoy what there is to offer. EA wll just have to find a new way to make these games exciting again, and clunky skating systems and slower game play speed isn't going to turn up the excitement for anyone. FIFA gameplay has the same problems that NHL does now, with quirky running and repetitive passing plays that should never work. A worn out club system is also carried on both franchises.
You referring to FIFA 14 on the Xbone Ayoh? Was kind of expecting a higher processor output to lend itself to containing a much higher amount of animations as well as ones that were much more realistic and dynamic. Pretty awful if next-gen is really just more of the same as far as the gameplay is concerned.
Two things have killed the advancement of the series 1: Stagnant sales - even as the popularity of the NHL continues to grow, sales of the game reflect little, or no change. 2. Next gen - developers with small budgets don't like to waste time programming engines they can't reuse. Even In IT or web design this is true. For Xbox this is especially true as the 360 used a combo of Intel/nvidia chips and the new systems are AMD. Why make a new physics engine that you can only get two years out of at best? This also explains why they port over so many things from other games lime fifa and now fight night. 3. Broken Game Modes - Online VS, HUT, EASHL, Be a GM they have done nothing to refine these game modes. And it is far and away what has destroyed sales. Club could be so much better. Be a GM hasn't changed since 08. And while FIFA has incorporated seasons into their versus mode, Versus play in NHL has not. No innovation at all. here is an idea, how about a new mode like pondy for example. Seriously, like club but no bots. Play 2 on 2 with some buds on a rink with no boards and aim for posts or something. Or maybe an NHL Hitz mode for when you're sick of grinding for these stupid legend cards. NHL 14 got a lot of things right. They should just can the modes and aspects that nobody likes and perfect the things we love about the game.
I would imagine that economics also affect this slump. On the one hand: there are fewer discretionary dollars in consumers pockets to spend on games so their money will be allocated toward those games that have been most heavily promoted. On the other hand: as Xbox, EA, etc. compete for those dwindling dollars they must allocate a growing percentage of marketing dollars toward those games that will provide the biggest return on investment.
The Decline of NHL NHL 09 - Producer: David Littman (former professional hockey player) NHL 10 - Producer: Rammer (Sucks at real life hockey) NHL 11 - Producer: Rammer NHL 12 - Producer: Rammer NHL 13 - Producer: Rammer NHL 14 - Producer: A slightly fatter Rammer
Littman is still involved as a producer, I think he actually is ranked above him in the EA Sports hierarchy
In 09, Littman was doing Rammer's job. Littman got promoted because 09 was a success. Rammer takes Littman's job and NHL 10 came out and might be one of the worst NHL games ever created. Since then it has gotten a little bit better but it will never be as good as 09 in my opinion.
Totally agree with Rifle, if you dont pick up the game and start playing from Sept, your extremely behind. But its like that on Fifa as well, the bottom line is, people don't like hockey, the community will always be small compared to other games.
