Exclusive: NHL 22 Player Likeness Scanning Resumed by EA Sports

When Covid-19 hit and shut everything down, one thing that was shelved was EA Vancouver’s player scanning for the EA Sports NHL series, mainly NHL 21 and NHL 22.

Usually, the company would go to Rogers Arena, and scan players as they came to town to play the Vancouver Canucks. Because of the league shutting down last season before moving into a bubble, that didn’t happen towards the end of the year which is when most of the capturing gets done.

Currently, the NHL is in the midst of the 2021 season. And while teams are coming back into Vancouver for games, only Canadian teams are making the trip due to current schedules and alignments.

EA Sports is trying to get more NHL 22 capturing done

SGO has learned that EA Vancouver has started scanning players in for its next-gen debut with NHL 22. The current goal is to have at least 80%-90% of the players currently on Canadian team rosters scanned for use in the game.

For the other teams, however, that number is going to be lower. Because of various restrictions, the studio is working on alternative scanning options to get as many players rescanned for the game. Even with different methods, the team is hopeful to get at least 60% of the players currently on rosters scanned for new models for the game.

There is internal optimism that the number will be higher for NHL 22 as more people are vaccinated in the coming months. One source even told SGO that EA Sports has the green light for limited traveling to get scanning done.

NHL 21 launched a month later than usual due to pandemic delays. And while the game was received more positively, it’s a game that was showing its age on the ice with the same recycled gameplay and visuals.

For NHL 22, EA Sports is aiming for a major visual increase as well as some added boost to the gameplay thanks to the new hardware and an improved game engine.

*Editors note: SGO Insiders were the first to get this story. Sign up today for more early exclusives like this*