What does the National Hockey League think of NHL 25?

Video games are one of the best ways to convert people into fans of a sport. I wasn't a huge hockey fan initially, but titles such as Blades of Steel and NHL 94 were too much fun not to play. Learning more about the sport became essential to actually playing the games better.

The NHL is aware of the connection, and even during the busy run-up to the regular season, they allotted some space for EA Sports NHL 25 coverage. The latest game in the series releases Oct. 4, touting its new "Ice-Q" technology. According to EA, new advances in AI will make this the most realistic game in the series.

"We wanted to create more consistency with how your AI teammates would position themselves," NHL Senior Creative Director Mike Inglehart told NHL.com. "Up until 'NHL 25,' our AI really struggled in consistently being in spots where you could rely on your teammates. … We took all of our strategies, created more consistency so that you can move the puck around the zone … but still ensured it wasn't robotic. We wanted to make sure that [AI] players still had the ability to improvise."

As usual with EA's marketing hype, I'll believe they've achieved all that when I see it, and not a moment before. EA's recent investor call was so AI focused most of the journalists that covered it were a little alarmed. But AI isn't going anywhere, especially in an industry that was built on its capabilities. In a little under 24 hours, EA Sports NHL's dedicated fanbase will tell us if it hit its lofty goals.