EA Sports has announced the cover athlete for the newest iteration of the NHL yearly release, and it is none other than the Stanley Cup-winning defenceman for Colorado Avalanche, Cale Makar.
Getting to be on the cover is no small feat for any sports title, as it is typically awarded to one of the best players in the game at the time. Players like Lionel Messi (FIFA 13-16), Tom Brady (Madden 20 & 22) and Austin Matthews (NHL 22) have graced EA covers in the past. Makar certainly has the recent credentials to justify the selection: winning the Stanley Cup, Calder, and Norris trophies in the 2021/22 season with the Avalanche.
We had the chance to speak to some of the development team at EA recently where they provided some insight about their selection thoughts: “I think how he represents himself and how he’s competed and won at every level is something that also connects to the history of this franchise. So we felt like he was the right fit. He is obviously a player too that, even if you’re not a fan of Colorado, it’s somebody that you can’t help but appreciate in terms of what he brings to the game,” said Creative Director of NHL 24, Mike Inglehart.
Senior Producer, Chris Haluke, added, “We felt Cale truly embodies what we were trying to accomplish this year. If we think about ‘Gameplay is King,’ Cale is obviously an incredible athlete. He’s a champion in the NHL and on the world stage, considered arguably one of the best defencemen in the NHL, he’s physical, he’s fast. Those are some of the attributes that we are definitely trying to embody with the game that we’ve put together for NHL 24.”
NHL 24 should release later this year, though a specific date has yet to be announced.
