NHL 24 HUT early access loot boxes are as bad as in EA Sports FC

NHL follows in the footsteps of EA Sports FC...

NHL 24 is now out in early access to those who’ve ponied up for its X-Factor Edition, and like EA Sports FC before it, has a number of pricey Ultimate Team transactions — or loot boxes — available to early adopters.

Here are the details of the three Hockey Ultimate Team packs currently being offered (for a price):

• NHL Premium Pack (20,000 Coins or 400 NHL Points; players can buy unlimited packs): 12 items, with a guarantee of 8 NHL Player Items
• Mega Pack (37,500 Coins or 750 NHL Points; players can buy up to 6 packs): 30 items, at least 15 Gold Players, and 4 80+ OVR Players
• Mega Players Pack (55,000 Coins or 1,100 NHL Points; players can buy up to 4 packs): 30 items, all Gold Players, with at least 5 80+ OVR Players

X-Factor players begin with 100 Coins and 4,600 Points. Additional NHL Points range from $3.46 AUD (250 NHL Points) all the way up to $197.95 AUD (20,000 NHL Points).

The opportunity to buy the packs above expire in under 3 days, meaning they’re only available to the consumers who’ve already purchased NHL 24‘s X-Factor Edition ($149.95 AUD or $99.99 USD). This means that those players who’ve paid extra for early access, will also gain a potential opportunity to have a stacked Ultimate Team deck compared to those who pay for lesser editions of the title.

The same situation has presented itself inside EA Sports’ recently released EA Sports FC 24 — and needless to say, players aren’t pleased.

“[The limited edition packs are] £30, there is absolutely no way it should be normalised for people to spend that amount of money on a game which is already overpriced,” said redditor towfoon (via IGN). “In two weeks’ time you won’t have any interest in any of those players you pulled unless it is an absolutely insane pull.”

“Not to mention this game has a life cycle of less than a year,” redditor nyse125 added. “Realistically, spending anything over $30 to $40 should net you some of the best players for the rest of the game.”

What do you make of the loot box situation within EA Sports’ titles? Sound off in the comments area, below, and stay tuned for our evolving thoughts on NHL 24.

Expect NHL 24 on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5 from 7 October. Pre-orders of the X-Factor Edition include three days of early access starting 4 October.

NHL 24 7 October 2023 PS4 PS5 Xbox One Xbox Series S & X   Buy on the Microsoft Store: Xbox One, Xbox Series, X-Factor Edition