The PWHL X NHL 25 Collaboration Explained

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 16, 2024 7 Views 5 Min Read
The PWHL X NHL 25 Collaboration Explained

A new update to NHL 25 has expanded the game’s roster to include the Professional Women’s Hockey League. This collaboration between NHL 25 and the PWHL is big news for the young association, in addition to being a step forward for women’s representation in the series.




The PWHL is a fairly new association, founded only last year. Growing out of an effort to establish more stable and more lucrative careers for women in hockey, the PWHL has more operational support and collective member power than its predecessor organizations. The inclusion of the PWHL in EA Sports’ NHL 25 has been important for promoting the young league, and Game Rant was able to talk to hockey star (and captain of PWHL team Montreal Victoire) Marie-Philip Poulin about some specifics.

Related
Canadians Tweet More About Video Games Than Hockey

While Canada has a reputation for loving hockey, it seems that right now, social media users are more excited to talk about video games.

Explaining The PWHL’s New Collaboration With NHL 25

Playing The PWHL

As of the December 5 update that expanded NHL 25 with this new material, the six teams that make up the PWHL (Montreal Victoire, Boston Fleet, Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, and Ottawa Charge) can be played throughout a variety of modes. Poulin described parts of the process that brought each player to life in-game.


“The scanning was part of it—but there’s a lot that goes into it, and I know that our people who took care of this really made sure that everything was appropriate to each player. There’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s really trusting and believing that we are in the game now that the PWHL is part of it. Honestly, just having our names and our faces and that you can pick one of us to play on your team.”

In addition to scanning, the PWHL roster has also been rendered using one of the aspects that the NHL series has moved on to. New SAPIEN skeleton technology, which has seen player skeletons rebuilt from the ground up, makes sure that player data is animated fluidly once mapped out. The technology not only improves new animations built with it but has upgraded old animations.


The Road To PWHL In NHL 25

Fans will be able to take on the role of PWHL players in Play Now, Online Versus, Shootout, and Season modes. This integration of the PWHL across these modes is something of a big step for the NHL series, too, with the women’s game only being recognized by the series in NHL 22. As someone featured in that game, Poulin was able to talk about how NHL 25 has deepened her own relationship with the series.

“Having us in the
NHL 25
says a lot about what they believe in. We’ve talked a lot about women’s sports, and having that support, but this is exactly what EA Sports and
NHL 25
is all about—it’s supporting and believing in what we have. Like you mentioned, since 2021 the IIHF, we got in there.

But now having a professional league, and knowing that we’re part of
NHL 25
—that this is our league as a women’s professional hockey league—I think it just shows that it’s representation. That it does matter, and that we are in that game for a reason. I think that’s a testament to what EA Sports is all about and how special it is to be part of
NHL 25
.”

This latest milestone in the NHL series is not limited to just player inclusion. PWHL uniforms, representing the six teams, are now available in World of Chel.


Source link