NHL Eastside Hockey Manager to be Softwrapped

Publisher Sega Europe has announced an agreement with digital distribution firm Softwrap, which will see sports simulation NHL Eastside Hockey Manager being distributed online using the Softwrap technology.

The new title, which is the first to be developed under London-based studio Sports Interactive's deal with Sega Europe, is an evolution of a hugely popular shareware title which was distributed largely online; making the Softwrap digital rights management solution, previously employed by Sports Interactive's Championship Manager title, into a logical choice, according to Sega.

"The original version of the game achieved cult status on the web with over a million downloads worldwide," explained Sega Europe marketing director Matthew Woodley. "With this heritage in mind, it's certainly fitting that we should be working with partners like Softwrap to distribute a secure downloadable version of NHL Eastside Hockey Manager."

The Softwrapped version of the title is available for download as of today from both the Sega Europe [website], and Sports Interactive's [own site], with further distribution partners to be announced in due course.