“We don’t care”"Franchise mode": Hockey fans react to possible roadmap for NHL 25

Ahead of NHL 25's Oct. 4 release, EA Sports has unveiled the roadmap for everything to follow between now and then. Following the gameplay trailer's release earlier this month, the studio is preparing to give a presentation about the new features and gameplay dynamics coming to NHL 25. In addition, EA Sports will announce franchise mode details in early to mid-September.

In late September, EA Sports will host the Hughes Brothers' Faceoff, although it's unclear what the company has planned for the event. In late September, we will also see EA Sports unveil the details of the Hockey Ultimate Team, which has proven to be a hit with fans year after year.

Then, in late September, fans who preorder the Deluxe Edition of NHL 25 will have a chance to play Early Access on Sep. 27 at noon Eastern (9 a.m. Pacific).

The deluxe edition of the game, which is priced at $99.99 will not only give fans a chance to play the game a week before release but also provide players with in-game perks.

In response to the roadmap for NHL 25 that was released on Saturday, hockey fans were quick to weigh in:

"And Franchise mode" - One wrote.

"Unless it’s coming out on PC, which I’m sure will never happen, we don’t care." - Another added.

Others expressed excitement about EA Sports Hockey League, where players can customize their own virtual pro and compete against other clubs from around the world. However, the roadmap notably didn't include anything about EASHL.

"What about EASHL? No changes again?" - One wrote.

"I wanna about eashl" - Another added.

Others weighed in on the absence of Be A Pro on the game's roadmap:

"No be a pro presentation meaning that it’s the exact same as the last 5 years?" - One wrote.

"You pieces of sh*t, we’re just going to get the same be a pro for the fifth year in a row aren’t we" - Another added.

Looking at the new features added to NHL 25

While many fans are concerned that NHL 25 will wind up being very similar to past iterations of the game, EA Sports has been working to implement new features and new technology to make the game more realistic.

As the gameplay trailer from earlier this month showed, the game will feature all-new gameplay mechanics thanks to the ICE-Q system, which the trailer described as "true hockey intelligence".

The game will also feature all-new next-generation vision controls that will give players a better feel for passing and shooting unlike years past. At the same time, reactive player actions are expected to give players even further control over their favorite players with responsive movements and reactions to input controls.

In addition to the technological advancements, the game will also have 250 new animations to give the game a more realistic feel, and more life-like animations for players throughout the league.

Of course, as we've seen in recent years, many fans aren't happy about the game being a console exclusive, rather than EA releasing a PC version of the game like many other sports games.