Can you think of another game packed with as much production drama in recent history than NBA Elite 11? Well, besides Duke Nukem: Forever…oh, and Brutal Legends… or anything Bobby Kotick has said, for that matter. Ok, well NBA Elite 11 is certainly up there; with its promise of including the classic favorite NBA Jam, the sudden delay that came as a surprise to buyers and the development team alike, and now this recent scandal that involved a couple hundred dollars, and a famous online auction store.
Following the statement made by EA Sports President Peter Moore that NBA Elite 11 would not, in fact, be coming to stores, questions and confusion ran rampant with the game’s completion put on the top of the list of suspected reasons. Well instead, it seems the game was ready and pressed, and at least one copy has slipped through the cracks and landed in one lucky (so far) man’s hands.
Recognizing a good money making opportunity, eBay veteran user tgarreth put the game up for an online auction. 29 bids later, the game sold for an amazing $255. Complete legitimacy is still to be determined, but the game was included with the original instruction booklet, and the pictures seen above are the ones featured in the auction.
It’s hard to tell if this was a great collector’s purchase, or a premature bust. Speculation is that EA scrapped the game at the last second due to the poor user reviews the demo received.
There seems to be two paths the mysterious game will take: Either it will be released in a few weeks after some tune ups, or it will disappear into obscurity, giving way for a finely tuned NBA Elite 12 come next year. If that’s the case, bigball12, the supposed buyer over on Operation Sports’ forums, made a fantastic purchase that will certainly put his children through college someday.
Speaking of feedback destroying a title, check out our latest editorial on the topic.
