EA SPORTS is adding women’s national teams to its NHL 22 hockey franchise. Andy Agostini, associate producer of the series, gives eSport some insight into why it took until this year.
First, the news is positive: via updates to IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) content, women’s national teams have been added to NHL 22 this season. While there have been female legends before, such as Hayley Wickenheiser and Angela Ruggiero, the addition of the ten teams and the World Championship gives the game a decent increase in women on the ice.
However, the question is why it took until 2022 before EA SPORTS implemented actual hockey greats. Andy Agostini, associate producer of NHL, speaks of an “important next step for the series” – but since FIFA has already included women’s national teams since 2015, the step can also be called overdue. The associate producer also provides an attempt at an explanation.
New possibilities thanks to Frostbite engine
“We have been talking to the IIHF for a long time. It is a special moment for us to reflect the diversity of the ice hockey community. To do that, we had to make sure the authenticity of the new content was guaranteed.” The switch to a different engine also plays a crucial role in showing fresh faces and player models.
“The Frostbite engine provides us with new possibilities. Women’s hockey has evolved over the last few years and we wanted to make sure that evolution was represented in our game,” Agostini said.
Indeed, NHL 22 has received a noticeable upgrade in terms of graphics – but that doesn’t explain the long wait for women’s teams. Agostini assures that work on female representation will be expanded: “As of right now, I can’t announce anything official, but I can say that we’re going to work hard on it. “
EA Sports lags behind in women’s sports
As in FIFA, just adding multiple club teams would probably be a big step in the right direction. In FIFA 22 there are 17 women’s national teams – in NHL 22 there are now ten. The lack of clubs and their leagues is more noticeable in both titles year after year. The status quo cannot therefore be described as ‘authentic’, however good the graphics may be.
Accordingly, EA should think about how women are portrayed in their games. Although the current developments are to be welcomed, sports games are still far from a desirable goal.