NHL Licenses Renewed
Published: June 19, 2006
We've bitched and moaned over the past couple years concerning the practice of buying up exclusive sports licenses, so it's actually rather cool to see that not only is the NHL staying out of one developer/publisher pocket (they'll happily dip from two), but that there were multiple mentions of both EA and 2K Sports in an EA press release. Even more impressive is that both companies were allowed a little chest beating in successive paragraphs. We always like it when the kids play nice.
The terms of the deal are simple: the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association have renewed their deals with both EA and 2K Sports, allowing both publishers to kick out games on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP for many years to come (the actual deadline and future renewal dates weren't disclosed). This is, of course, a very, very good thing for any hockey fans, since the friendly rivalry between NHL 07 and NHL 2K7 will continue unabated.
"We're excited to extend our relationship with EA and 2K Sports since they have long been on the cutting edge of the sports gaming category, and are now leading the way in the development of next generation, three-dimensional gaming," mused Ken Kim, NHLPA Senior Director, Business. "NHL players are fans of these titles as well, and they, like the gamers, can't wait to see the year-to-year advances that are made to replicate the intensity of a real NHL game. We look forward to continued growth in the video game marketplace through these agreements."
"NHL fans and consumers want more choices and extending our relationships with EA Sports and 2K Sports offers them the ability to choose the quality games they want to play," added Brian Jennings, NHL Senior Vice President, Consumer Products Marketing. "Video gaming technology is increasing our younger fans' abilities to connect with the personalities and athletic abilities of our players. And both EA Sports and 2K Sports have world-class development teams that successfully design games that continuously enhance that connection."
For those keeping track, this means we'll likely see two new NHL games for the PlayStation 3 (EA only named the Xbox 360, but they did say "next-gen platforms"), in addition to a continued slate of products for the good ol' PS2 and even the lovable PSP. Since both developers are exchanging hugs and handshakes with each other, it looks like that'll stay the case for some time now. Hooray!
The terms of the deal are simple: the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association have renewed their deals with both EA and 2K Sports, allowing both publishers to kick out games on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP for many years to come (the actual deadline and future renewal dates weren't disclosed). This is, of course, a very, very good thing for any hockey fans, since the friendly rivalry between NHL 07 and NHL 2K7 will continue unabated.
"We're excited to extend our relationship with EA and 2K Sports since they have long been on the cutting edge of the sports gaming category, and are now leading the way in the development of next generation, three-dimensional gaming," mused Ken Kim, NHLPA Senior Director, Business. "NHL players are fans of these titles as well, and they, like the gamers, can't wait to see the year-to-year advances that are made to replicate the intensity of a real NHL game. We look forward to continued growth in the video game marketplace through these agreements."
"NHL fans and consumers want more choices and extending our relationships with EA Sports and 2K Sports offers them the ability to choose the quality games they want to play," added Brian Jennings, NHL Senior Vice President, Consumer Products Marketing. "Video gaming technology is increasing our younger fans' abilities to connect with the personalities and athletic abilities of our players. And both EA Sports and 2K Sports have world-class development teams that successfully design games that continuously enhance that connection."
For those keeping track, this means we'll likely see two new NHL games for the PlayStation 3 (EA only named the Xbox 360, but they did say "next-gen platforms"), in addition to a continued slate of products for the good ol' PS2 and even the lovable PSP. Since both developers are exchanging hugs and handshakes with each other, it looks like that'll stay the case for some time now. Hooray!
