After taking a year’s hiatus, NBA Live returns this month with a new look, new features and mechanics that EA hopes will put the franchise back on par with other titles in EA Sports stable, as well as compete with the 2K series.
This isn’t the first time the franchise has taken a year off. Back in 2012, EA cancelled NBA Live 13 after a disappointing development process , but the reason for this recent hiatus has more to do with building a new foundation.
When EA officially revealed NBA Live 18 at E3, the focus was on the brand new game mode The One, which lets players have a single-player experience unlike anything the franchise has had before and that would warrant the game’s hiatus.
“Traditionally in sports games it’s difficult to make the enhancements you want year to year because you have the pressure of delivering a quality product every year,” NBA Live 18 Creative Director Connor Dougan told Player.One. “For us, we had a lot of improvements that we wanted to make to the game. So taking the year off let us invest heavily in new technology that will improve the game quality, animation quality and create a smooth game.”
Dougan explained that other franchises like Madden continue to do great stuff year in and year out. For the NBA Live team, the time off was necessary to get the game where it needs to be.
EA Sports has continued to corner the market for sports games, f NBA 2K series has taken the edge from the Live franchise in recent years. That competition is not lost on the Dougan and the Live team.
“It is a risk, but what we’re focused on, from a developer perspective, is making the best game possible,” Dougan said. “To get people to play it and like it is the priority, that’s the most important thing. It needs to play well, it needs to be smooth. All of the other stuff will take care of itself, but first and foremost the game has to be good.”
NBA Live 18 will release for PS4 and Xbox One Sept. 15.
Are you willing to give NBA Live a shot after the year off? Do you believe EA can compete with NBA 2K this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
