EA Sports Axes 'NBA Live 20' Release Again: What Else Is New?

After delivering some good news about its partnership with Steam and the eventual release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Electronic Arts' (EA) streak suddenly went on a downward spiral.

A number of sources, including Kotaku, reported that NBA Live 20 has been cancelled. But this is not the first time that this happened: according to the website, EA has been putting their “flagship basketball game” on the chopping block for the fourth time in ten years.

EA also canceled the release of NBA Live 13 in 2012 due to its “disappointing development.” Had it been otherwise, the game could have delivered an “all-new experience that captures on the future of basketball.”

In an official statement, EA pointed that while they're making real progress with NBA Live in the past years, they feel that they're “still not where they want to be.”

“We've been working on something new and meaningfully different – an experience that operates at the pace of culture, and will change the way you can play, connect and create in basketball,” it added.

Furthermore, EA's Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson said that they have the full support of the NBA and its labor union in their enduring effort to create a basketball game that is totally different from the hemisphere created by the NBA 2K franchise.

Along this line, Polygon's EA insider might be correct when the representative claimed that the delay was not related to development. Back in July, EA told their investors that the release of NBA Live 20 would be moved to a “late 2019” date, or somewhere near the All-Star Weekend next year.

“We're excited by what we've built so far, and yet we now the world is changing,” said Wilson in his statement. This may give a hint on the future of NBA Live 20 as it may sound like EA is waiting for the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Project Scarlett to release their next-generation basketball game. If so, the prompt will coincide with what the CEO pointed as “new platforms” that will pave the way for a new perspective in gaming, including “social connection, accessibility and player creativity.”

Wilson noted that the company is expanding its horizon and taking their time to ensure that they will deliver something against the opportunity for their players.

“Until then, we'll be building.”