The Hughes brothers and EA SPORTS are taking family game night to a whole new level.
Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes were unveiled Thursday as the cover athletes for EA SPORTS NHL 25, which will be available Oct. 4 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
"We feel incredibly honored to be on the cover of NHL 25," said Quinn Hughes, a defenseman and captain for the Vancouver Canucks. "Being featured alongside my brothers is the sort of thing you dream about as a kid but could never imagine happening in real life."
The Hughes brothers are the first siblings to grace an EA SPORTS cover together, with their play on the ice personifying NHL 25's significant evolution in gameplay intelligence.
Built on ICE-Q, an all-new logic-driven animation system, the game responds to contextual events with unprecedented realism and is the foundation of Chel's gameplay overhaul. According to a press release from EA SPORTS, Next-Gen Vision Control skating allows players to walk the blue line, square up to the puck carrier, stay locked on goal and much more. The empowered AI helps players execute authentic plays with a refreshed playbook that improves power plays and opens the ice for better overall positioning and offensive opportunities. Plus, Reactive Actions utilizes a series of new animations to make skaters more responsive in critical situations, increasing their urgency, collision avoidance and reliability.
"The new ICE-Q gameplay system represents a foundational shift in how players will experience the game, with its deep intelligence giving them complete control of the ice," said Mike Inglehart, senior game design director at EA Vancouver. "Hockey is built different, with NHL 25 delivering greater authenticity, bigger team rivalries and inspired by the sport's next-generation superstars who continue to redefine the game."
And that’s where the Hughes brothers come in. Quinn, along with New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes and defenseman Luke Hughes, are known for their exceptional skating ability and hockey IQ, and according to EA SPORTS, their ability to anticipate the game perfectly matches the way ICE-Q opens up NHL 25 and gives players time and space to create plays.
"It was a very proud moment for all of us when we saw the Deluxe cover," Jack said. "It reminded us that on the ice we're competitors, always learning from each other, but off the ice we're brothers who love to play hockey."