Amidst all of the typical E3 hype, one annual release from Electronic Arts went without mention during E3 2019—NBA Live. The struggling basketball franchise still lacks an official announcement, despite the NBA 2019-2020 season fast-approaching. However, that did not stop EA from discussing the title’s apparent delay during a recent earnings call. Interestingly, this delay may not see the new entry hit store shelves ahead of the NBA season, which tips off on October 22nd. At the very least, though, the publisher aims to get NBA Live 20 out by year’s end.
Game Informer relayed the news from EA’s earnings call, reporting that NBA Live 20 is now on schedule to launch between October 1st and December 31st. This is, of course, a few weeks removed from the title’s usual September launch date. The reasoning behind such a move? EA wants to revise the formula, perhaps rework the game in some respects. For now, it remains to be seen what these revisions will look like.
As always, a delay, even a brief one, is likely for the better. And, truthfully, NBA Live needs all the extra tender loving care it can get. In the last few years, the series has suffered quite mightily, failing to reach the heights it once reached in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
For the 2011 installment of the franchise, EA rebooted the series as NBA Elite. It was a short-lived reboot as many may recall, however. By 2013, the NBA Live moniker had returned. Though the series skipped a console launch for the 2017 season, the title’s remained intact since then.
Could NBA Live ever regain any of its former glory, even after all these years? Anything seems possible. Who knows? Maybe the brief delay will do it far more good than even EA can imagine.
[Source: Electronic Arts via Game Informer]
