The final stretch of March is well underway. Each week, we aim to bring you the SGO Inside Drive to cover any news in sports gaming you may have missed along the way. This week features NHL 19, a new eSports broadcast center and more.
SGO Inside Drive 3/21: NHL 19, EA, and More!
NHL 19 Patch 1.6
Yesterday, NHL 19 received patch 1.6. The patch removes in-game voice chat from HUT Competitive Seasons and Champions games. Due to this, players can no longer see the opponent’s Online ID before the puck drop. The hope is this will help address issues with players backing out before the drop. You can catch more on the patch below:
Hockey Ultimate Team
- HUT Competitive Seasons and HUT Champions will no longer feature In-game voice chat
- New Uniforms
NHL 19 New Uniforms:
- Philadelphia Flyers Stadium Series
- Pittsburgh Penguins Stadium Series
- Tampa Bay Lightning Alternate
- Toronto Maple Leafs St. Pats Alternate
Additional New Content in World of CHEL
- Philadelphia Flyers Stadium Series uniform
- Pittsburgh Penguins Stadium Series uniform
- Tampa Bay Lightning Alternate uniform
- Toronto Maple Leafs St. Pats Alternate uniform
EA New eSports Arena
Early this month, EA announced the construction of a new eSports arena to house competitive Madden events. Future events on the Madden circuit will now be calling the new location “home”. This began with the Madden NFL 19 Challenge that kicked off March 15 – 17. The idea is to replace the outsourcing model used for production in hopes of saving money and creating more content.
While EA is trying to save money in the long run, upfront the company spared no expense in the construction of the arena. In addition, EA has made it known that it hopes to bring in NHL and FIFA eSports events in the future. If you’re curious to know more, check out the announcement coverage from Hotspawn.
EA Madden NFL 19 Challenge Conclusion
Being the premiere event held in the debuting EA eSports arena, the Madden 19 challenge concluded this past week. Chritobin put on an impressive performance to take home the belt. Be sure to catch our coverage of the event right here on Sports Gamers Online!
Take-Two Interactive Buyout Rumors
Rumor has it that Sony has been in a bid to purchase a controlling interest in Take-Two Interactive. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, Take-Two is the parent company of popular 2K studios. This includes games like NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Mafia III, and more. If the rumor is to be believed, oddly enough, word is Sony seems to be against a NBA 2K monopoly that would see the series appear as a PS4 or PlayStation family exclusive.
Nonetheless, it does raise some interesting questions in regards to many of the other IPs under the Take-Two umbrella. Perhaps, their eyes on prizes we have not yet seen. With that said, it is just a rumor. Furthermore, this is not the first time Take-Two was rumored to be up for sale. A failed attempt was made in 2008 by Electronic Arts.
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