nba 2k19
With the success of its "NBA 2K" video game franchise as a backdrop, the game publisher is ponying up big. NBA 2K

Electronic Arts' NBA series is slowly and surely catching up with 2K's iteration of the game, but Live 20 will be delayed until the last quarter of 2019. EA hasn't even shown a glimpse into the NBA franchise, let alone shown advertisements while rival 2K Sports has already released a ton of media footage for 2K20.

Whatever the reason is, EA's strategy is pissing off a lot of its fans, but will a December release benefit the troubled Live game? On Tuesday, the American video game company conferred its earnings report for the 2019 fiscal year. During the presentation, three annual EA Sports games titles are shown to be on schedule for a July 1 to September 30 release.

Interestingly, Live 20 appears to be listed in the third fiscal quarter. It means that the game will be published between October 1 and December 31. EA though reassured fans that they are "planning to release the game between October 1 and December 31."

In recent years, franchise rivals, 2K and EA typically release their NBA titles in September. The former sticking with their schedule on a September 6 debut, while the latter is still adamant on their final launch. Last year, both the NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 debuted in the same week.

It's still a mystery what EA is up to, but several fan theories suggest that they are aiming to haul in Holiday sales. The latest Live game had a well-received career mode, and maybe the folks at Redwood City are planning for a better one this year. Otherwise, the worst-case scenario could mean that the game would be canceled at the last minute, but let's hope that it's not the case.

Hopefully, bosses in EA would consider releasing the game, despite the apparent delay. Fans have been clamoring for a second title to compete against 2K's apparent dominance on the basketball game franchise.

In recent years, NBA 2K has had a couple of complaints from different users for glitchy and buggy gameplay. Not that it's wholly broken, but for a couple of years, 2K's franchise has not upped their game. Consider how linear their career mode has become, unlike Live '20s improved story mode last year.

More and more people are saying that the game is becoming repetitive if EA pulls off a decent game this December, many might consider jumping ship. It's still 2K's ballpark for now, but a little competition might be beneficial in a lot of ways.