"Don’t mess this up EA" "Game will be trash": Hockey fans react to NHL 25 official gameplay trailer

EA Sports' NHL 25 game will be released on Oct. 4, coinciding with the start of the 2024-25 regular season. The season will begin with two meetings between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres at Prague's O2 Arena on the 4th and the 5th, before action around the league begins on Oct. 8.

On Thursday, EA Sports NHL took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post news about the gameplay deep dive, which was scheduled for 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. Pacific). The deep dive into the gameplay trailer, voiced by Senior Game Design Director Mike Inglehart, gave fans an all-new look at EA NHL 25.

The four-and-a-half-minute video provided fans with an in-depth look at some of the new features and technology included in the new game, such as Ice-Q. Furthermore, the deep dive detailed the mechanics and differences that gamers would see thanks to next-gen vision control, empowered AI, and reactive actions.

In response, hockey fans were quick to weigh in with their opinions.

"Get ready to be disappointed, boys! Don't get caught up by the yearly buzzwords. We all know this game will be trash." One wrote

"Don’t mess this up EA" - Another added

Others prepared for disappointment:

"When all you do is adjust auto back skate & call it a new feature. How embarrassing, please nobody buy this game." - One wrote

"Ready for a let down" - Another added

Others called for EA to make the game PC compatible rather than console only.

"Add pc" - One wrote

"Add to pc" - Another added

Hughes brothers react to being featured on the cover of NHL 25

One of the most anticipated announcements prior to the release of yearly sports games is its cover athletes. This year, EA selected Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, and Luka Hughes as their cover athletes.

The standard edition of the game will feature New Jersey Devils standout Jack, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. Since joining the NHL, he has continued to impress, flirting with a 100-point season in 2022-23 season.

While speaking in an interview with Business Wire, Hughes spoke about being named as the NHL 25 cover athlete.

“It was a very proud moment for all of us when we saw the Deluxe cover. It reminded us that on the ice, we’re competitors, always learning from each other, but off the ice, we’re brothers who love to play hockey,” he said.

The deluxe edition of the game, which comes with several other in-game add-ons, included the two other Hughes brothers, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils.

The trio are the first brothers to grace the cover of an EA Sports game, marking a historic occasion not just for the league but also, of course, for the Hughes family.