NHL 21 Wasn't at EA Play Live, But EA Says It's "Getting Closer" to Reveal
Despite its absence, EA says more info is on the way.
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Yesterday's EA Play Live showcase debuted footage for both Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21 as part of the publisher's upcoming sports lineup. That's only part of Electronic Arts' scheduled sports lineup though, and fans seemed to notice NHL's absence.
In a Twitter post following the showcase, EA's NHL community manager responded to NHL's absence in the sports sizzle reel.
"Although we're not revealing #NHL21 today, we're getting closer to showcasing the great work the @EASPORTSNHL team has been doing and will continue to drive towards creating the best NHL yet," they wrote.
NHL is still theoretically slotted for a new entry this year, a follow-up to last year's NHL 20. While 2019's offering was a bit more conservative compared to other entries, it still worked to provide some good ol' fashioned hockey.
EA's sports lineup is still largely a question mark, as we haven't seen much of any of its major franchises outside a few hype videos. FIFA 21 is taking the month of August to roll out its plans for the future, while Madden NFL 21 has had some of its gameplay innovations detailed. The addition to its sports lineup for the future is still unknown too, leaving two EA Sports franchises nowhere to be found right now.
There's still a lot of summer left to unveil games and roll out the Not E3 reveals, so it's possible we'll see more of NHL 21 sometime soon. Until then, sports fans feeling the absence of live athletics will have to wait. At least the playoffs are coming back.