We are less than 3 weeks away from the start of the NFL season, which means that 2014 Huddle is going to be launched here shortly. I could not be more excited, as Huddle is my main jam when it comes to Topps digital apps. As much as I have become a Bunt fanatic this year, I have always been a HUGE football fan. This is the first real 2014 post for me on the Huddle front, and much more will be coming as soon as we get more into the launch of the new update.

Until then, the question is, what will it be like this year? Here are some of my responses and predictions to some of the overarching questions for the upcoming year.

Will Huddle Mirror 2014 Bunt?

Lets be 100% honest and say that 2014 Bunt is almost completely different than 2013 Bunt. The game structure has changed in that the base cards have multiple levels and boosts are no longer coveted items. Sigs still are the most valuable cards in the game, but inserts come on a daily basis. We have already been given major assurances with the launch of 2014 Kick that its a safe bet to think that 2014 Huddle and 2014 Bunt will be peas in a pod. This includes the play counts and load times, as well as card structures.

Prediction: No doubt about it

Will 2014 Huddle be NFL Licensed?

One of the enormous drawbacks to playing huddle was that no NFL logos could be used due to licensing only with the NFLPA. Bunt feels like more of a complete game because everything can be built around the teams, brands, events, and players and their history rather than just their players. In Huddle, it was almost impossible to drive content the same way because of how much depends on the use of NFL logos. Chris Vaccaro posted a question in a recent article about Marshawn Lynch’s selection as the cover athlete for 2014 Huddle, that made me do a double take. He addressed this head on, but gave no indication as to whether or not its happening. The fact that he addressed it changed my viewpoint from “No way is this happening” to, “Whoa, ok, this MIGHT be happening.”

Prediction: Huddle stays NFLPA licensed with major focus on design content to make the app more visually appealing

What Cards Will Be the Most Valuable for Points?

Last year’s value spectrum for scoring points was all over the place, and you really had to stack your teams with both a ton of Wide Receivers and Running Backs to really be successful. I expect that Running backs will continue to be the best players in the game, but expect QBs and WRs to be getting a nice bump in scoring. I think they learned a lesson in setting up the scoring in Bunt this year, where pitchers became the only playable cards, and I would guess that they wont present any similar situation in Huddle.

Prediction: A balanced approach to scoring

What Cards Will Be the Most Valuable Overall?

This was the case in Huddle last year, but sigs will continue to be the most valuable, if not more so than last year. With a likely increase of insert releases combined with larger attempts to create scarcity among the cards, expect that this will fuel the market for rare sigs and potentially increase the value of 2013 sigs along the way. Also, because I would expect a large migration from Bunt as well, the community already has a big focus on sig value. I would expect Marshawn Lynch to be the first sig of the year, which means Seahawks fans should start saving coins now.

Prediction: Sigs all the way, get on board early

How Much Will Investment Change?

From what I have gathered from vet Bunters, 2014 became a year of more investment in terms of money. To really be competitive in the game, real money needed to be spent, or hours and hours of trading needed to be spent. Both came with a significant cost. Because the amount of base cards quintupled, as did the amount of inserts released, it became a mad dash to get up to speed. I highly expect that Huddle will have a similar situation, to a lesser extent due to less users. If NFL licensing is secured, that could all change. Apps are extremely expensive to produce and maintain, and there is no doubt that more money will be needed to continue supporting the game. That bill is inevitably passed to the users, but with it should come more perks like VIP programs and better content. Its a trade off I dont really mind, but I know that isnt the case all around.

Prediction: More investment will be needed to stay on top

What Will 2014 Huddle’s Biggest Moments Be?

This is where I think things will get fun. As we saw in 2014 Bunt, there is an immediate transfer from real life events to in game releases. Because of this, expect big things in 2014. Peyton Manning will likely break Favre’s TD record, rookies will make debuts, and who knows what else may happen? All these new elements are why I expect Huddle to be incredible this year. Get ready people, its coming soon!

Prediction: Huddle’s Biggest and Best Year Yet

I will be posting lots of gameplay tips, reviews commentary and all sorts of other fun stuff this year, so check back often to read up. If you have any questions – dont hesitate to reach out!