It's no secret that the NBA Live franchise has struggled to keep up with NBA 2K. There was a time when EA completely removed itself from the NBA Live brand, and tried to reinvent itself as NBA Elite. That didn't go so well. I suppose you have to give EA at least some props for trying to keep their brand of basketball relevant. That said, EA is (indirectly) acknowledging that NBA Live isn't up to par, and as such, the company has decided to delay the release of NBA Live 17 into early 2017.
Sean O'Brien, the Executive Producer on NBA Live took to the EA Sports website to deliver the news. He said:
It’s important that you know that we are committed to NBA LIVE in the console space. While we won’t be shipping a product this Fall, we will be back on the courts with something new and exciting for you to experience in early 2017.Our focus this year is to deliver an amazing, high-quality basketball game to a global audience. The best way to do that is through the fastest growing, largest, and most accessible gaming platform…mobile. As a team, we’re really excited about taking the franchise to new places with the worldwide release of our mobile game later this year.
So apparently, we will be getting a mobile game in 2016 in lieu of a full game release, but at least the franchise is continuing on. Still, one can't help but wonder if the higher ups at EA are beginning to grow weary of the series' struggles.
In our official review of NBA Live 16, we loved the additional modes and the on court feedback, but the moment to moment gameplay still failed to impress. Hopefully with the added time, EA will find a way to turn around the NBA Live franchise.
Source: [EASports.com]
