EA Sports have been struggling with their NBA sims during the last few years, not having released one since NBA Live 10. They tried with NBA Elite 11, but that was cancelled, and then a new team at Tiburon were given two years to create what would be NBA Live 13, only for that game to be cancelled as well. Meanwhile, the competition has gone from strength to strength with the NBA 2K series.
EA Sports' Andrew Wilson announced the cancellation in a letter to fans:
"After a lot of consideration, we have made the decision to not launch NBA LIVE 13. I'd like to give you a bit of perspective.
When we started the process of bringing back NBA LIVE, we knew it was going to be a long journey. We started by moving the game to a new studio. We brought in some of the best new technology that has helped fuel innovation in our other games. We launched an even deeper level of engagement with our community to gather more feedback directly from fans. And we built a whole new development team to bring it all to life. We felt like we were on the right path.
We also made a commitment to deliver a high quality experience - this is what our fans expect and what we demand of ourselves at EA SPORTS. But making great games is not easy, and we're just not there yet on NBA LIVE 13. Having continued to look at the game over the past few days, it's clear that we won't be ready in October. And rather than launch midway through the season, we're going to sit out the full year and stay focused on making next year's game great. This decision puts us on the right track for success well into the future in a rapidly changing industry.
I'm disappointed that we have not yet met our high expectations with NBA LIVE, but I remain motivated about where we're going. We're committed to delivering new innovation in online, and our progress in the visual presentation of the game continues to take big strides. We also know that a great game starts with great gameplay, and this remains a huge priority for us.
This wasn't an easy decision, but it's the right one for our fans. I hope you'll agree when you're able to play the game next year.
Andrew Wilson
Executive Vice President, EA SPORTS"
There's always next year...