When EA showed off its lineup for the next generation of EA Sports titles during the Xbox One reveal event they announced that Madden, NBA Live, UFC and FIFA will all be coming to the Xbox One---as well as the PlayStation 4---within a year of the Xbox One's release. But one major sport league was not represented during the presentation, the NHL. Now, an EA Sports representative has confirmed to IGN that NHL 14 will not appear on the next generation of platforms.
"NHL 14 will not be available for Xbox One or PlayStation 4 this year. Our team is laser-focused on delivering the greatest hockey experience to-date on the Xbox 360 and PS3, grounded in the speed, skill, and aggression of the sport. We look forward to developing a best-in-class hockey experience for new platforms in the future."
This would explain why one of America's biggest sports was unavailable at the Xbox One presentation, despite the fact that NHL 14 was already announced and set for a Sept. 10 release. EA Sports is most likely still formulating the best way to bring hockey into the next generation realm, as the gap between current and next-gen technology is quite large. For example, the technology behind the Xbox One and the new EA Ignite engine allows for a huge amount of detail into FIFA 14, including dynamic crowds that can affect AI performance. That level of technology simply will not be available on current gen systems. So far only Madden 25 and FIFA 14 are confirmed as to coming to current gen consoles.
NHL 14 will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on Sept. 10 and will feature improved fighting mechanics, as well as a revamped check system, which is actually borrowed from the physics system from FIFA.