



Electronic Arts recently emailed select NHL 15 owners a survey that asks for feedback on this year's game and attempts to judge fans' interest in a few potential features for NHL 16.Forum user NJDEVIL30274 posted a cell phone screen capture of the survey on Electronic Arts' official forums , showing some of the new features that the company is considering:GM Connected, the 180-player online franchise mode that debuted in NHL 13 and was dropped from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of NHL 15, is disappointingly absent from this list. Though given EA's statements on the mode's metrics during a public Q&A that was conducted back in August , its absence is perhaps expected.It's no surprise, either, to see Ultimate Team receiving so much attention, since EA continues to tout it as the series' most-played mode. Recent earnings reports have placed Hockey Ultimate Team's year-over-year digital revenue gains at 50% and 113% for the first two fiscal quarters of 2015.The return of the EA Sports Hockey League (which also brings in digital revenue via paid attribute boosts) seems inevitable, and will likely win back some fans who skipped NHL 15. Rebuilding old modes from past titles, however, may not be enough to reverse the franchise's negative momentum in North America, where retail sales have decreased every season since NHL 11.Surely EA will have some bigger surprises to share with its fanbase by the time E3 arrives next June.