NHL Rivals 2004

NHL Rivals was developed by the internal Sports and Racing Games Group of Microsoft Game Studios . In 2000, Microsoft announced it was creating a hockey game for the Xbox , making it the earliest internally developed title confirmed to be in development for the console prior to launch. Studio manager Kevin Browne stated the game's title was intended to channel the "intense rivalries that teams and fans have with each other" in the NHL , with the game's competitive Xbox Live modes, faceoffs and man-to-man roles designed to facilitate this theme. Microsoft showcased the game at E3 in May 2003, and the Leipzig Games Convention the same year. The game was one of four titles launching the Microsoft sports game lineup for 2004, including Links 2004 , NFL Fever 2004 and NBA Inside Drive 2004 . ^{[ 5 ]} It was the third game released under the XSN Sports brand, a series of games marketed with extended compatibility for matchmaking and leaderboards on Xbox Live . The cover of NHL Rivals features Detroit Red Wings professional hockey player Steve Yzerman , who participated in promotional interviews for the game.

NHL Rivals was developed by Microsoft Game Studios ' internal Sports and Racing Games group . In 2000, Microsoft announced that it was creating a hockey game for the Xbox , making it the first internally developed title confirmed to be in development for the console prior to its launch. Studio director Kevin Browne said the game's title was intended to channel the "intense rivalries that teams and fans have with each other" in the NHL , with the game's Xbox Live competitive modes , face-offs, and man-to-man roles designed to facilitate this theme. Microsoft presented the game at E3 in May 2003. and at the Leipzig Games Convention the same year. The game was one of four titles launching Microsoft's lineup of sports games for 2004, including Links 2004 , NFL Fever 2004 and NBA Inside Drive 2004 . This was the third game released under the XSN Sports brand , a series of games marketed with extensive compatibility for matchmaking and rankings on Xbox Live . The cover of NHL Rivals features the Detroit Red Wings professional hockey player , Steve Yzerman , who participated in promotional interviews for the game.