NHL 27’s Online Franchise Mode Isn’t What You Think

On Thursday, EA Sports pulled back the curtain with the release of the NHL 27 reveal trailer. In addition to the first look at the game, a few new features were announced that left fans pretty excited.

There’s a new broadcast team, presentation changes, arena updates, and, the big one, the return of online franchise.

EA Sports NHL games haven’t had an online franchise mode since 2013’s NHL 14, and it’s often been the most-requested feature on Reddit and the EA forums. So, when it was confirmed to be returning, under the name Connected Franchise, the initial response was nothing but positive. That was, however, until more clarity on the mode was given.

Connected Franchise is anything but

A visit to the official website for NHL 27 gives you a high-level overview of what Connected Franchise is.

“Create a league with friends, manage your roster, and compete head-to-head across a full online season with up to 32 human-controlled teams, flexible settings, schedules, and commissioner tools,” the description says.

It’s not until you

that you get some unfortunate news. NHL 27’s online franchise mode requires a league full of human-controlled players.

A screenshot from the trailer reveals that “teams without a human user cannot be controlled, traded with, or played against.”

That means to have an authentic 32-team league, you need to have 32 people join. There are no games against the CPU, (likely) no expansion or relocation options, and based on the language used in press releases, the league lasts for one year. So, instead of it being a true franchise, you’re looking at an online season mode.

EA Sports hasn’t responded to requests for comment on these limitations in NHL 27’s Connected Franchise. More details on the mode are expected to come in the following weeks ahead of the game’s launch on September 4.

What do you think of NHL 27’s Connected Franchise mode and the limitations? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, or join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming Discord.

In other news, check out the full list of patch notes for College Football 27’s first title update. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.