Sega Europe Ltd and Sports Interactive Ltd have announced plans to publish Mac and PC versions of NHL Eastside Hockey Manager, a game that puts players in the role of the managers of major-league hockey teams. Sports Interactive is the same company that created the eminently popular Championship Manager series of soccer management games.
Sports management eschew the rapid-fire twitch gameplay of arcade-style sports games for an emphasis on statistics and strategy in which the player tries to get inside the heads of management, coaches and players alike, making training decisions, implementing trades, and planning gameplay tactics that will make or break the team. NHL Eastside Hockey Manager is based on a shareware title called Eastside Hockey Manager, first developed in 2000 by programmer Risto ‘Riz’ Remes.
The announcement notes that the North American National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Player Association (NHLPA) have both granted licenses to the companies for the development of the game. Ultimately, Sports Interactive and Sega hope to have 20 leagues from around the world represented in the game. NHL Eastside Hockey Manager is expected to be released in July.
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