NHL 13 Sales Are Up This Year, Despite NHL Lockout

[renojedi]

Quote: Originally Posted by BCDX97

The reason I'm passing until they play is because why would I want to play a game that reminds me that the greatness of NHL hockey is sitting on the bench, fighting amongst itself over money? If they play, I'll get the game. But if I got the game now it would only make me miss the real thing more. The last strike they had lasted an entire year! And I passed on the NHL game altogether that year. I can wait until they work it out - I don't think we are gonna miss another entire season - that would be absurd.

I'll support BCDX and say I am waiting on getting the game too. I always wait about a month into the season to make sure I get the game post patch and so they have had a chance to update the rosters (mainly AHL). After all, if I am going to take a game into multiple seasons, I'd like to have as many real players as possible in the minors. Maybe it is just me but having phony players prior to about season 3 or 4 is really annoying.

So, since I am waiting a month, if there is still no season then, why buy it? Rosters will be the same as last year, probably with the same ratings as well. Those minor league guys who normally play that all important first game to get into the roster update won't appear. We won't see all of this year's draft picks which means they won't be there for future seasons. And I suppose I could make them but that feels "cheap" and is too time consuming for me.

And, we really don't know what the lockout will bring. There are lawsuits in Alberta calling it illegal. We also saw what the NFL and NBA lockouts did (or would have done) to their video game counterparts. Will any of those affect the rosters in game? Who knows.

But most of all, the big stars are going to Europe. Will there be a roster update that moves all players off of the NHL rosters and to European teams? How about those in the KHL which NHL 13 doesn't have the rights to? Will they just disappear? If the answer is no then this is just an NHL 12 roster. If the answer is yes, then all I can say is there will be massive complaints on this board.

I realize I am in the minority but I definitely agree with the sentiment that I'll get the game after they get their act together. NHL 13 won't get me a hockey fix just like the NHL network re-playing all the games from last year that we know how they end won't either. The whole situation is a mess and one that is best to step away from in my opinion.

I will also break with others and say I think this will go until early 2013 at the earliest and probably the entire season. The sides are WAY too far apart and if the owners are losing as much as they say they are, the ones in the stronger markets (i.e. San Jose with their $15M loss) will actually do better sitting out because they know we Shark fans will return whenever they do come back.

I still love hockey just as much. Instead of heading to Sharks games this year, it will be Bulls and Thunder games in the ECHL. And that will be one more reminder that the NHL is gone and a video game that doesn't have the ECHL anyway will only reinforce that.