Eastside Hockey Manager series
Encyclopedia
Eastside Hockey Manager, commonly known as EHM or NHL EHM is a video game series about managing an ice hockey
team. The series started out as a popular freeware game and later evolved into the commercial NHL Eastside Hockey Manager games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega.
game called "Eastside Hockey Manager: 2nd Generation", generally referred to as the original Eastside Hockey Manager
or in short EHM. This first public release in the series was created by a small independent team led by Finnish
programmer Risto Remes.
to work on a commercial version of the game. The new version of the game went by the working title of "Eastside Hockey Manager: Franchise Edition" before being released by Sega
under the name of NHL Eastside Hockey Manager
in 2004. Rather than bringing over the code of the original freeware game, the new game was built upon the technology used in Sports Interactive
's highly successful soccer management series Championship Manager 3.
and Sega
released the first sequel for the commercial version, called NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005
. The European release of the 2005 version was based on the 2004–05 hockey season and featured new licensed leagues to play and updated the user interface of the game as well as other areas of the game. In late September 2005, a North American version of the game was released with updated rules for the 2005–06 hockey season. At the same time, a free season update was released for the European version of the 2005 game to bring it up-to-date.
. This game is only currently available via digital download.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team. The series started out as a popular freeware game and later evolved into the commercial NHL Eastside Hockey Manager games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega.
Eastside Hockey Manager
The game series started out after a small hobby project "Eastside Hockey Manager" grew step by step and eventually led into the creation of a freewareFreeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
game called "Eastside Hockey Manager: 2nd Generation", generally referred to as the original Eastside Hockey Manager
Eastside Hockey Manager
Eastside Hockey Manager , commonly known as EHM or EHM2g is a freeware video game about managing an ice hockey team...
or in short EHM. This first public release in the series was created by a small independent team led by Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
programmer Risto Remes.
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager
In 2002, the series branched as Remes signed with Sports InteractiveSports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
to work on a commercial version of the game. The new version of the game went by the working title of "Eastside Hockey Manager: Franchise Edition" before being released by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
under the name of NHL Eastside Hockey Manager
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager is an ice hockey management simulation game developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. It was the first commercial release in the Eastside Hockey Manager series started by the freeware game Eastside Hockey Manager.The first version of the game was released...
in 2004. Rather than bringing over the code of the original freeware game, the new game was built upon the technology used in Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
's highly successful soccer management series Championship Manager 3.
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005
In May 2005, Sports InteractiveSports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released the first sequel for the commercial version, called NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005 is an ice hockey management simulation game in the Eastside Hockey Manager series. It was developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega...
. The European release of the 2005 version was based on the 2004–05 hockey season and featured new licensed leagues to play and updated the user interface of the game as well as other areas of the game. In late September 2005, a North American version of the game was released with updated rules for the 2005–06 hockey season. At the same time, a free season update was released for the European version of the 2005 game to bring it up-to-date.
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2007
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2007 was released on September 22, 2006, and is the current edition of the game. It includes many new features, such as a fantasy draft, a new real-time 2D engine and a new GUIGui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
. This game is only currently available via digital download.
The future
It was confirmed on January 30, 2007 that the development of the NHL Eastside Hockey Manager series has been put on hold indefinitely, with Sports Interactive Managing Director Miles Jacobson citing piracy as a major factor in the game's disappointing retail sales history, which eventually forced the game to be released as digital download only http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6461934525/m/8602070492/p/1. Most in the EHM community felt that poor marketing caused the games disappointing sales figures, and that the piracy was used as an excuse (the fact that it is still nearly impossible to obtain a full-version pirated copy of the game seems to support this claim). At this point, the decision has been frowned upon by most. All the members of the EHM development team at Sports Interactive continue to work on other projects at the studio.External links
- Official Website at SIGames.com
- Official NHL EHM 2005 website
- Official NHL EHM discussion forums
- EHM The Blue Line Information and downloads for the NHL EHM series
- FHockey.com Information and downloads for the original freeware game as well as the NHL EHM series