NHL 25 News
EA Sports Reveals AI-powered ‘True Hockey Intelligence’ for NHL 25
EA Sports developers breakdown the new gameplay innovations in its new logic-driven gameplay system, ICE-Q.
On September 5th, 2024, EA Sports published an official blog detailing its new technological innovations to its gameplay in NHL 25. The gameplay deep dive showcases new game technology: Next-Gen Vision Control, Empowered AI, and Reactive Actions.
These three innovations constitute a suite of improvements found in NHL 25’s new logic-drive gameplay engine named ICE-Q — true hockey intelligence.
Next-Gen Vision Control
Per Mike Inglehart, Senior Game Design Director at EA Vancouver, Next-Gen Vision Control is an upgrade to the gameplay engine’s skating system. It reportedly will allow players to “create more time and space on the ice” through “user-initiated” skating responsiveness and explosiveness.
According to EA Sports, the recoded skating system provides more control for players to square-up the puck carrier and square-up the goal while maneuvering through traffic. Puck handlers in the offensive zone will now skate with the net as their main target while Next-Gen Vision Control is active. Similarly, non-puck handlers on the offensive will now track the puck with Next-Gen Vision Control activated, reportedly allowing for more responsive team-play when the puck is put in motion.
With improved spacing and AI player awareness, the “Skill Based One-Timers” game mechanic could be a popular tool for game players. The new controls will provide a timing window (a meter of sorts), accounting for all of the variable physics involved in the play.
On defense, Next-Gen Vision Controls will help game players lock-in and faceup the puck. Such tracking assists (presumably by the AI) should create more natural control for gameplayers to track and disrupt attacks as the puck moves around the ice.
Empowered AI
According to EA Sports, the company made a “complete overhaul” of the AI player system that will improve CPU skater awareness. The improved awareness will result in more natural CPU play “reads.” These reads will also show up as AI players will glide into more appropriate offensive zone spaces when game players are on the attack.
Reactive Actions
Lastly, EA Sports reports that it has added collision avoidance animations to keep the game flow moving. There have been numerous changes to the hitting system, per the blog post.
EA Sports has a long history of over-selling and underdelivering on gameplay enhancements year-over-year. But this year’s gameplay video, posted below, does demonstrate some notable spacing improvements and AI-awareness.
NHL 25 is the only simulation hockey videogame available in the marketplace for the official 2024–2025 National Hockey League season.
NHL 25 is developed and published by Electronic Arts, and it is available 04 October 2024 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
