EA's NHL 21 has finally been officially announced with Alexander Ovechkin as the cover star and the reveal that high-skill moves like The Michigan have been added to the game. While EA has shared a good number of details on this year's game, the developer has lots more to share regarding basically all elements of the title before its release in October. [Update: The NHL 21 technical test is now live.]

　　EA has now shared a schedule for when more details will be released. On August 27, EA will talk about the new updates for the World of Chel social mode. Then in September, the developer will reveal more details on the general improvements to gameplay as well as what's new in the Hockey Ultimate Team mode. In October, EA will divulge more information about the greatly expanded Be A Pro mode and will, later on, share more details on Franchise.

　　EA warned that these dates could change, so don't mark them on your calendar in pen.

　　NHL 21 launches on October 16 for PS4 and Xbox One. It's coming later than usual this year due in part to complications related to COVID-19 and working from home. EA would have surely wanted the game to come out sooner, as the real-world NHL season is heating up with the playoffs right now, but these are unprecedented times.

　　A closed beta for NHL 21 is set to begin on August 28, but registrations have closed, so if you didn't sign up already you probably won't get in.

　　For lots more on NHL 21, check out GameSpot's breakdown of everything new this year.