Dev Updates
The Origin of Breakaway Hockey League
The Origin of Breakaway Hockey League
Why It Needed to Be Made & Why Early Access Matters
It started with a question - Where did PC Hockey go?
After hockey games largely disappeared from PC in the late 2000s, the genre just stopped evolving. There wasn't a modern hockey game built for people like us.
“Growing up in Canada, hockey was always part of my life. Playing organized hockey wasn't really an option for me during my childhood, but I spent countless Saturday nights watching Hockey Night in Canada and playing the early EA NHL games. That's where my love for the sport came from.
As I got older, that passion shifted toward competitive PC gaming. I fell in love with team-based games because they rewarded mechanical skill, teamwork, communication, and the feeling that there was always something new to master — it filled that competitive gap in my life.
Then I realized hockey never made that same leap as other team-based games. After hockey games largely disappeared from PC in the late 2000s, the genre just stopped evolving. There wasn't a modern hockey game built for people like us.”
Hugo Agostinho (Game Designer & Head of Marketing/Community)
It’s the game we’ve always wanted to play.
Breakaway Hockey League was born to fill that nearly 20 year gap, and it became clear Raccoon Logic was in the best position to become the full-vision creators of Breakaway and fulfill the game’s potential.
The very first concept was actually cheekily codenamed Project DSC, which stood for “Dangle, Snipe, and Celly” which later evolved into Project Enforcer and now Breakaway Hockey League.
The Vision
“Breakaway Hockey is something we really felt needed to exist. We wanted to help evolve how people think about hockey video games and bring a more modern, competitive feel to the genre. I love fast, competitive games and want to create a style of hockey game that, honestly, doesn’t really exist right now.
Our philosophy is to make the controls as analog as possible, and for your skill, positioning, and ability to read the play to matter more than memorizing combo inputs or watching an animation play out. It's a level playing field and it'll come down to whether or not you can outplay your opponent.”
Steve Masters (Design Director)
The vision has always been simple: create fast, team-based competitive hockey where every stride, pass, deke, hit, and shot is controlled by the player. A game that's easy to jump into, but deep enough that players are still improving hundreds of hours later.
That's exactly how we want to build Breakaway.
Finding the Right Team (Spoiler: it was us)
“Being based in Montréal, there’s probably no better team or studio to take on the challenge of filling a gap that’s been sitting there for nearly 20 years. Hockey is such a huge part of the culture here, and you can really feel that passion across the team. We’ve already gone out and played floor hockey together!
What stands out to me most is how fun and approachable the game is. With fast-paced matches and no rules, it’s remarkably easy to jump into. You certainly don’t have to be a die-hard hockey fan to appreciate everything this game delivers!”
Noémie L’Ecuyer (Senior Producer)
What made BHL the right fit for Raccoon Logic?
"As we were deciding what we wanted to build next we challenged ourselves to find a project that could hit the bullseye of 3 Quadrants below."
1. What is an IP that is immediately recognizable but doesn’t come with creative restrictions and/or huge costs
2. What could the Raccoon team build where we could add our expertise in tight controls and bright colorful graphics
3. What is a a project that we could build in under 2 years, that would allow us to build it alongside an active community
"BHL hit the mark on all three of these requirements, and when we saw the research that a modern competitive Hockey game had been missing on PC for years, we knew this was the right project for us! We’re super excited for the community to start playtesting and give us your feedback."
Reid Schneider (Studio Head/EP)
Building It Together
From the earliest Alpha playtests through Beta and beyond, our community will help shape the future of the game. We'll be running regular playtests, sharing updates, listening closely to feedback, and iterating quickly as we continue development.
That's also why Breakaway Hockey League will launch in Early Access. However, we see Early Access as just the beginning for us.
It's our chance to build the game alongside the people who care most about competitive hockey. To test new ideas, improve existing systems, and make sure every update moves Breakaway closer to becoming the hockey game our community wants it to be.
A Hockey Game With Its Own Identity
"It might sound counterintuitive but I think not having an official license is a strength. It means we can build a world with its own characters, stories, and creative risks without having to play by the rules of real-world hockey.
Our aim is to distill the feeling of skating on ice, of playing hockey, then trim off a lot of the more technical rules to make it faster and more intense, with bigger hits and wilder shots than you would normally see. And if we want to leave a few teeth on the ice, we can, without having to clear it with the league. Think of the attitude and tone of the original NBA Jam but with the skill, precision and depth of Rocket League. That's our goal."
Alex Hutchinson (Creative Director & Co-Founder)
If that sounds like something you want to be part of, we'd love to have you with us from the very beginning.
Join our Discord, sign up for future playtests, wishlist Breakaway Hockey League on Steam, and help us build the future of competitive hockey together.
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