NHL 13 News Post

NHL 13 Sales Are Up This Year, Despite NHL Lockout

11:19 AM - September 20, 2012 by Steve_OS

EA Sports NHL 13 Skates to New Franchise High in First Week

Week One Worldwide Sell Through Up 9% Over 350 Online Games of NHL 13 Played Every Minute

Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ:EA) announced today a record-setting launch for EA SPORTS NHLŽ13. EA estimates that worldwide sell through for NHL 13 in its first week is up 9 percent* globally over last years previous franchise high, and fans are deeply engaged with the games new connected experiences.

Headlined by all-new True Performance Skating and EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., NHL 13 offers an innovative new gameplay experience that definitively captures the speed, creativity and strategy of NHLŽ hockey. NHL 13 also delivers brand new experiences that connect hockey fans to their friends and the real world of hockey with the all-new GM Connected and NHL Moments Live modes. Game Informer calls NHL 13 the best playing NHL of this generation, and its now available in retail stores across North America and Europe.

NHL 13 has incredible new gameplay innovation, and its the most connected NHL title weve ever created, said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President of EA SPORTS. Were proud of this years game, and were extremely happy to see our fans worldwide embracing it in record numbers.

How fans are playing NHL 13*:

Since the launch of NHL 13, fans have created just under 50,000 of their own alternate versions of the NHL through the new GM Connected feature in NHL 13.
During the first week, the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins were the most popular teams used across all game modes in NHL 13.
Fans have played over 3.7 million online games, or the equivalent of over 350 games a minute.
Fans have scored just under 5 million goals in the first week, dwarfing the 244 goals scored during the first week of the real 2011-2012 NHL regular season.

*Based on internal EA estimates

Game: NHL 13Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 23 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 Cletus @ 09/20/12 11:33 AM

Good news! This game isn't perfect, but it's the most fun I've had offline in years. EA Canada seems like the only branch doing any risk taking out of EA Sports, and they should get rewarded for it.

# 2 onac22 @ 09/20/12 11:34 AM

Game is good even though NHL is screwing the shelf down.

Forget the lockout scenario everyone wants wher you have to solve the lockout. What I want is lockout rosters.
Would ES be able to swing that?

How good would the AHL be this year?

So lets sim this one make the AHL rosters and see who wins the lockout championship!!!!

CAN YOU DIGG ITTTTTTT!!!!!!!

# 3 jim316 @ 09/20/12 11:37 AM

SUKAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

# 4 FBeaule04 @ 09/20/12 11:38 AM

Game is good, game is more fun than NHL 12, but there's a lot to work on for NHL 14. Only hoping that more sells equal to more money injected in the project so that they have a great product instead of a good product.

The only thing that annoy me a bit is that they are so happy about the online modes that I'm wondering if they care one bit about offline gamers. Online and Offline experience are two separates animals, and should be threaten accordingly.

In all objectivity, the sale raising is deserve, they put a better effort this year.

# 5 Mikey88 @ 09/20/12 12:23 PM

Good for them, they deserve it!

# 6 GlennN @ 09/20/12 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBeaule04


	The only thing that annoy me a bit is that they are so happy about the online modes that I'm wondering if they care one bit about offline gamers. Online and Offline experience are two separates animals, and should be threaten accordingly.

Absolutely agree with this. Here's hoping offline BeAGM gets an upgrade for next year.

# 7 Vikes1 @ 09/20/12 06:57 PM

Glad to see these numbers.

And happy for EA Canada.

# 8 bwiggy33 @ 09/20/12 07:22 PM

IMO most casual fans couldn't give a crap about the lockout. If a game is fun to them, they are still going to buy it. Plus most NHL or hockey fans couldn't care a less about the lockout either in terms of video gaming. They just want to be able to play some sort of hockey game. The only time I can see the lockout affecting sales is half way through the year when a non hockey fan has his/her NHL team winning games and giving buzz around the city. Those fans are then more apt to buy this game because they are pumped about hockey. It's more of a fad. Depending on how long the lockout lasts, this may be the only way they lose sales. If the lockout doesn't go too long then I don't really think it should affect it at all.

These sales can be taken as two ways. Maybe they will have more money to put into the game or maybe they will make minimal changes and bank on the fact that people are going to buy their game anyway. I truly hope they will start listening to us fans and change some of the problems that have been in this game for a while. Either way it's selling hockey which is great, whether it replicates the sport the way we want or not. Overall hopefully this game will be a way for people to keep thinking about the NHL while they have a lockout. I just think if this lockout lasts for the full year (even though it's said that it won't), it could be very detrimental to the sport.

# 9 ccoaxum @ 09/20/12 11:09 PM

seems like EA is doing good so far with their 2013 sports games this year(increased sales and online game play). I think we all can expect fifia 13 this year to break records as well(For EA records)...too bad live 13 is not coming out on disc and EA is not showing much of that game at that.

# 10 BCDX97 @ 09/20/12 11:42 PM

This is kinda weird. Personally, I'm not buying it until the NHL gets it's act together and they start the season. I thought more people would feel this way, but maybe not. I was underwhelmed by the demo, but still would have bought it for the new season - but there isn't one. Not yet.

# 11 JezFranco @ 09/21/12 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCDX97


	This is kinda weird. Personally, I'm not buying it until the NHL gets it's act together and they start the season. I thought more people would feel this way, but maybe not.

I can't understand this reasoning to be honest.
Why not buy the game, just because the regular season is on hold?

For me, those two things don't affect each other at all.

# 12 ultralow36 @ 09/21/12 08:04 AM

^^^^^^^^i guess he is playing real GM mode and locking out the game....lol

# 13 gopher_guy @ 09/21/12 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JezFranco


	I can't understand this reasoning to be honest. Why not buy the game, just because the regular season is on hold? For me, those two things don't affect each other at all.

I don't understand it either. For me, an NHL lockout would make me MORE likely to buy the game and get my (non college) hockey fix!

# 14 kerosene31 @ 09/21/12 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gopher_guy


	I don't understand it either. For me, an NHL lockout would make me MORE likely to buy the game and get my (non college) hockey fix!

Me too. A lockout means 3-4 more free nights for playing once the season was supposed to start.

I don't even think the NHL or PA get any incremental money from sales anyway, do they? I think the license agreement is just a long term contract so I don't think buying the game impacts their money at all.

# 15 BCDX97 @ 09/21/12 01:57 PM

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.

# 16 renojedi @ 09/22/12 07:29 PM

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.

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NHL 13 Sales Are Up This Year, Despite NHL Lockout