Old School Gamer Magazine chats with ‘Franchise Hockey Manager 6’ Chief Marketing Officer Richard Grisham, who discusses this year’s version of the game and why it’s a vast improvement over its predecessors.
Old School Gamer Magazine: How has this game changed from last year?
Richard Grisham: Many, many ways both big and small. We’ve added hundreds of ‘little things’ that longtime fans will like, as well as a few ‘big ticket’ items that everyone (newcomers and veterans) will enjoy. Some of my personal favorites include the new rivalry system which really rewards you in many ways when you defeat your rivals over time consistently – fans will be happier and come to more games, players will see boosts, and the overall team is energized and will be more successful. Conversely, lose to your rivals over time and things get tough. Plus! These rivalries change over time too, just like the real NHL.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What are the best new features you’ve added?
Grisham: In addition to the rivalries, my favorite new feature (among many) is the historical exhibition feature. You can pit any team against any other team in history, whether it’s a one-game match or 99-game series or anything in between. The matchup possibilities are infinite and I love experimenting with ‘what if’ scenarios all the time. But that’s just me – we’ve got lots of other cool new features that lots of people like.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What are your goals for this year’s version?
Grisham: My top goal is for everyone to have fun with it. My second goal is for more people to play it than ever, because we feel this is a special version that capitalizes on so many things we’ve learned over the years. We want our community to grow exponentially and can’t wait for lots of people to see the incredible depth FHM 6 has to offer.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What’s next?
Grisham: A year-long campaign to promote the game and make sure anyone and everyone who would enjoy it can hear about it and play it! This is the first day of a yearlong journey and I am REALLY excited about the opportunities ahead of us.
Old School Gamer Magazine: Why is this a great entry point for people who haven’t played the series before?
Grisham: The best answer to that is variation. There are lots of ways to play FHM 6, whether you want to take over your favorite NHL club and play every game this season, or go back in time to any year and re-do something. The huge number of teams and leagues is great too – if your local minor league team is your favorite, chances are high you can even play with that club in FHM 6! If you like playing against your buddies, we have online leagues. If you just want to check out a bunch of one-off scenarios, we’ve got the new historical exhibition mode. So many ways to play – and they’re all set up to ease you into it if you’d like.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What will bring older fans back for more?
Grisham: Lots of those ‘little things’ such as (but hardly limited to) bringing in a save from FHM 5 to FHM 6 (a long-requested feature), having the game stats show up on the screen in real-time while you’re simulating a match/week/month/season, locking players to a line and saving them, players being suspended for bad behavior…there are so many of these things fans have asked for that we’ve delivered. That’s what has our community really buzzing!
Old School Gamer Magazine: Anything else you’d like to add?
Grisham: We love and appreciate our fantastic community, who continually push us to make our game better. We want our community to grow, so if you’ve never seen what we’re about, give Franchise Hockey Manager 6 a try!
Patrick Hickey, Jr., is the founder and editor-in-chief of ReviewFix.com and a lecturer of English and journalism at Kingsborough Community College, in Brooklyn, New York. Over the past decade, his video game coverage has been featured in national ad campaigns by top publishers the likes of Nintendo, Deep Silver, Disney and EA Sports. His book series, "The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult and Classic Game Developers," from McFarland and Company, has earned praise from Forbes, Huffington Post, The New York Daily News and MSG Networks. He is also a former editor at NBC and National Video Games Writer at the late-Examiner.com
