NBA Live 14 might get pushed back
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Electronic Arts has made official the release dates for three of their upcoming games on the Xbox One and PS4. Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, and Battlefield 4 will be out on November 12 for the PS4 and November 19 for the Xbox One.
That means the games will arrive three days before the release of the systems. Given that it has been such a long time between generations many may not know, or remember, that console launch games are often shipped a few days in advance. This is beneficial to them not just because it makes things easier on retailers but they get the games physically in the hands of consumers before reviews can potentially dissuade them from buying.
One thing of note is that no mention was made of NBA Live 14 which has previously been slated as a launch day game (GameStop even offered up a console bundle with it). Though this specific info release was centered on titles that will be out first on 360/PS3 passing up an opportunity to mention another prominent upcoming game from the company is at the very least curious – especially considering the track record of that series in particular the past four years.
EA’s reaction to a concerned response then was to make two tweets, both of which stated the game is coming in the next-gen “launch window”. The wording was chosen deliberately. That is not the same as locking in for launch day and depending on a company’s perspective could be a period stretching into mid-2014.
Needless to say if NBA Live 14 is not out on day one it will be DOA. Consumers aren’t going to have interest in what would be the third NBA title within a seven month time frame. EA can target those who are buying NBA for the first time this year with their new system or those who already played NBA 2K14 on 360/PS3 and are looking for something different. Once 2K14 is purchased on PS4/One though that’s it…Live would be shut out and the damage would go beyond this release for the series. NBA 2K14 is out on October 1 for Xbox 360 and PS3 and is confirmed for November 15 on PS4 and November 22 on Xbox One.
Comments
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We weren't gonna buy that ? anyway ...
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HAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAH
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haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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Them ? need to go on and call it a wrap with the franchise, Live ain't been on ? in years.
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Yeah its done for them. Just bow out gracefully. Hopefully this transfers to their NFL license being non-exclusive when the contract is up
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Who the hell still buys NBA Live
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I am devastated.
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after them sega dreamcast graphics in their previews iont see anyone in their rite mind who woulda purchased dat ? honestly RIP Nba Live
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They need to call it NBA Dead
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Haha
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I didn't even know that franchise was still alive
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Gotdamn it
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Change of plans looks like they will release it!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjuTvTt1Kik
& it still looks wack as ? !!! -
id hate to be the son of one of those game makers for live
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The sad day when a kid asks for 2k for his birthday but is greeted with nba live instead.
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Dump this wack ? and do a nba street for ps4
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The perfect coaster for my soda.....thanks EA !
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*Stopped ? ' with Live since '05 post*
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EA needs to bury Live and make an NBA Jam for the PS4/ One.
That NBA Jam they put out was dope. -
pastapadre.com/2013/11/12/nba-live-14-heads-towards-release-that-could-sink-the-future-of-the-seriesNBA Live 14 Heads Towards Release That Could Sink the Future of the Series
At a time when competition in sports gaming has nearly evaporated the return of the NBA Live series offers some hope that multiple games can exist for a single sport. NBA Live 14, debuting next week after a three year absence due to two late-cancelled titles, needed more than anything to reestablish some credibility in order to build towards future battles in the marketplace.
In the lead-up to release EA Sports has demonstrated a distinct lack of confidence in the product and made decisions that could lead the franchise’s cancellation before it ever even has an opportunity to truly compete.
Over the summer EA Sports talked about how they knew they had to show the game to prove things to a skeptical consumer base who have another option and not just make empty promotional statements. Unfortunately they never actually followed through with that. The game has been hidden and for long stretches seemingly ignored. The exception is a few seconds of gameplay from a trailer that was naturally going to be overly scrutinized when it’s the only thing offered to evaluate. Predictably a lot was immediately identified from that as problematic.
The biggest mistake the company made was moving the release date back so that it would not be a launch title for the PS4. Those are significant days where the game won’t be on the market. There’s no decision for basketball fans to make when picking up the console or for the more casual consumer that may have bought it not knowing much of anything about the product. Even the demo which was set to release on Friday has been pushed back to the following Tuesday which represents another unsettling move. The message is clear: EA doesn’t want consumers to see or play the game before it releases.
Now it’s not even just about those first four days but has extended to well over a week in which PS4 games will have been available to purchase from retailers. In discussions on Twitter quite a few people stated they would have considered getting Live in the buy two get one free promotions that have been held by Amazon and Target. Since Live isn’t a launch title it wasn’t included in those promotions. Another missed opportunity there.
For EA Sports getting sales in this reboot year may only a good thing if the game is at least decent. Cancelling NBA Elite 11 and NBA Live 13 prevented a situation where consumers would have felt ripped off and sworn them off forever. Their actions so far suggest a lack of confidence however, which would mean disappointing those who spend the $60 and potentially losing the few who gave the product a chance for good.
That’s why being transparent about the product would have been the proper course of action. No one could have expected NBA Live 14 to match up favorably against NBA 2K14. Though it will certainly do some things better than 2K14. Focus on those aspects of the game, show them off completely, and be up front about any liabilities. Show the game completely and accept any negative feedback along with what is deemed as promising. Consumers have shown they’ll respond to that type of honesty and it will pay off down the line when the series strengthens. Don’t try and trick people into buying it by making the sales strategy based on securing only the uninformed. That base will crumble away leaving nothing.
There are still many out there open to NBA Live and hopeful for some sustained legitimate competition in sports gaming. Unfortunately it appears that the release of NBA Live 14 won’t be the beginning of that and it brings into question how long EA will stick with a series that they continue to mismanage so badly.
[Update] Reviewers won’t be receiving copies of NBA Live 14 before release. That is another horrific sign…possibly even worse than hiding gameplay footage from consumers. -
earth two superman wrote: »Dump this wack ? and do a nba street for ps4
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I miss nba street
Broke out the ps2 the other day to play vol 2 ? still GOAT -
Seen it in the store and was tempted to get it but was like nahhhhh
