Since the release of NHL 23, EA Sports has begun the process of adding more crossplay functionality to the title. The feature has been implemented for the first time in the NHL franchise, but there are still a number of notable omissions, at least as compared to the likes of MLB The Show and FIFA. One addition that will be coming to NHL 23 in the future is the ability to play private, cross-platform games in Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT). However, it’s going to be a while until this feature is added to the game.
Related: NHL 23: Beginner’s guide to defense – How to position yourself, controls, and tips
Per the official EA Sports NHL Twitter account, the development team confirmed that NHL 23 players will be able to set up private HUT matches against friends. This ability will work on the same generation of consoles. For example, PlayStation 5 owners can create private games against those who own an Xbox Series X/S, and the same applies to PS4 and Xbox One owners. Co-op is not included in this update.
It will be a while before Hockey Ultimate Team players have the ability to set these matches up. The NHL 23 stated that this feature won’t be available until March.
EA has slowly added crossplay functionality to NHL 23 since the title released in mid-October. In November, the NHL team introduced cross-platform matchmaking in phases, allowing users to play randomly against those from different consoles in HUT, EASHL, and Online Versus. Other functionality, like the ability to set up cross-platform EASHL teams and a shared HUT marketplace, has not been implemented into the game.
It’s unclear as this time as to whether the NHL team plans to implement increased crossplay functionality for EASHL and HUT at this time. Hopefully, the team will share more details as we move into the new year.
