A major September release is already facing ridiculous amount of backlash from NHL hockey fans

EA Sports NHL 27 has become the target of a wave of online frustration just days into its early access window, with hockey fans making it clear the criticism goes far beyond typical launch grumbling.

One popular hockey account said he could not recall seeing this level of disdain directed at an NHL title before, and pointed to the hockey community's response as proof the frustration is widespread.

The backlash intensified when the bizarre player face scans started circulating widely.

Screenshots comparing in game models to real photos of stars like Connor McDavid, Charlie McAvoy, Mason Lohrei, Kirill Kaprizov and John Tavares spread fast, with fans mocking just how far off some of the likenesses turned out.

A handful of scans, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, held up much better, but that only made the misses stand out more.

Even Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did not escape the trend, as one fan account poked fun at how the coach's digital version came out looking nothing like him.

Beyond the visuals, plenty of fans are frustrated with what they see as a lack of meaningful change year over year.

One fan account argued that spending an entire year developing the game only to release something that feels copied and pasted from past editions is disrespectful to supporters of the franchise, adding that friends who used to buy it every year are sitting this one out entirely.

EA Sports has not publicly addressed the face scan issues or said whether a patch is planned before NHL 27's official release on September 11 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

With early access reactions already piling up, it remains to be seen whether the developer moves quickly to smooth things over before the wider hockey audience gets its hands on the game.

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