Ultimate Team modes tend to dominate EA's game innovations in their sports lineup these past years. And of course they do because the micro-transactions in the mode make the company a bajillion dollars every year. But they are usually quite fun and I find them especially helpful when I just want to jump into a quick game or two and not dive into something I feel the need to pay more attention to like career mode. And the dopamine hit of opening a pack and getting a new player you've been coveting is pretty rewarding, not to mention the off-meta game I like to play by dedicating myself not to fall into the trap of actually spending any extra money on the mode but purely competing via the in-game rewards.
In this year's flagship hockey offering, NHL 26, EA are continuing to push depth into Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT). The deep dive video goes into detail, but the highlights:
HUT Ranked Competitive Matches to up the stakes for players to compete in a highly competitive mode with leaderboards, and division rankings. As well as a redesigned rewards structure to clearly identify what's on offer with each match.
HUT Cup Chase will offer a full season in offline play to provide depth against the CPU across 18 league games and a two-round playoff. This mode comes with a dedicated rewards track rather than leaderboards.
New Heroes And Icons Player Cards shake up the meta by re-introducing some of the main characters from Hockey history.
NHL 26 releases September 12th. But those that pre-order the Deluxe Edition can get in a week early, in just four days or so on this Friday, the 5th.
