NHL 25 to feature PWHL, 4 Nations Face-Off in winter updates
On Wednesday, EA Sports announced that it is scheduling a few major updates to NHL 25, including the addition of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The game will also re-introduce NHL Arcade, with game modes featuring the 4 Nations Face-Off coming out in the new year.
Big gaming news! @EA has announced a multi-year partnership with the @thepwhlofficial, and will bring the players and teams into NHL 25 starting Dec 5!!
EA is also dropping 4 Nations Face-Off content starting early 2025 pic.twitter.com/SuEZGQZeRi
The addition of the PWHL has been in the works for several months, ever since the league burst onto the sports scene in a huge way during its inaugural 2024 season. Gamers will be able to play as the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montreal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres in traditional game modes (Play Now, Online Versus, Season Mode, etc.), with team uniforms becoming available in World of Chel and Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT).
“Our partnership with EA Sports opens new doors to elevate women’s hockey across all levels,” senior vice president of business operations, PWHL, Amy Scheer, said in a release. “Through this alliance, we’ll develop in-game and out-of-game experiences that strengthen the bond between our teams, players, and fans, bringing the PWHL closer to the global hockey community.”
The presence of women’s hockey in the games series has been around for the last few years, with consumers able to play as national teams in various modes, including the IIHF Women’s World Championship. The PWHL update will be available to download on Dec. 5, a few days after the beginning of the 2024-25 season.
When the calendar officially turns to 2025, players will be able to compete in their own 4 Nations Face-Off, a new tournament that the NHL is introducing this February featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Along with the ability to play in a best-on-best tournament format, the individual teams will be able to be used in other game modes, with the teams’ unique jerseys also added into the game.
There hasn’t been an official date for the 4 Nations Face-Off update.
NHL Arcade is going to bring fans back to the old NHL 3-on-3 Arcade game that earned a cult following over a decade ago. This “new” format within World of Chell will still feature 3-on-3 action, with various power-ups, including small and big goalies, big heads, and other chaos that will entice fans of games that are easy to pick up and play.
The fun and entertaining feature will become available this Friday.