OS Roundtable: NBA Live's Digital Release a Good Idea?

Feature Article

Submitted on: 09/04/2012 by Bishop Tart, Keni Glover, Steve McPherson, Aaron Ondrey

Bishop Tart: Here's the quote from IRB Gamer: "It’s been almost 3 years since we’ve released an NBA title. The tactic is to get feedback from gamers. However, it’s a bit risky to not run it as the AAA title as thedecision has been made to NOT put the game on disc.

Live will be looking at a price point around $19.99."

EA and Tiburon are testing every single one of us this year. They're trying to see if there is any interest at all left in the series. If it does release as a downloadable game for $20 and only a few people purchase it, we can say goodbye to NBA Live.

I've read some of the comments on Operation Sports, and I think EA releasing NBA Live 13 for $19.99 is a GREAT idea. We all know the debacle that was NBA Elite, so EA trying to release a basketball game this year at a full $60 price-point is just absurd. Releasing it as a downloadable game at a cheap price means a low entry level and EA wants to get people to believe in the franchise again. This is the perfect way to do that. Now that would mean the game has to deliver. With NBA 2K pretty much owning the video game basketball world, EA and Tiburon know they can't have a half-assed game come out

People are also thinking EA will hold onto modes and features to release as DLC. That's possible, but NBA Live 13 will have Dynasty and online modes. It's an EA title, so of course, DLC will probably happen. But people panicking that DLC will be modes or features from previous iterations are being a bit paranoid.

I understand people are invested into the NBA 2K series, but there are a lot of basketball fans here on Operation Sports. Is spending $20 on NBA Live 13 going to really break the bank for fans of the sport?

While yes, that's not the only question most of us are asking, but until we get more solid information that's what I'm asking myself. I'm not making a decision based off a video from a pre-alpha build.

It's not that NBA Live 13 shouldn't be released, but who is going to care if the game isn't good?

Keni Glover: In my opinion it's not so much the $20 digital release that seals the fate of NBA Live; it's the resignation implied by this release that potentially dooms the franchise.

After a two year layoff, fans of the series had big expectations for Live 13 and even non-fans were at least curious to see what EA had cooking. It was a bit shocking to see how far the series actually digressed in the latest gameplay reveal, which granted wasn't official or even the latest build, but it was still ugly. The cancelled NBA Elite and NBA Live 10 both look superior in quality to Live 13 and it just doesn't seem that EA put significant resources behind this game.

Did EA resolve from the beginning of this project that NBA Live 13 was going to be a $20 digital release? Or, did they make this determination after they received critical feedback of what they allege to be a pre-alpha build of the game? If before, it might imply an intention to minimize overhead of the project, perhaps due to a lack of confidence that the game would be profitable. If after, it was an enlightened choice in that they realize Live 13 has little chance to be competitive this year, particularly with the bad press it has received to this point. Either way, its a bad omen for NBA Live.

The NBA Live franchise has a long way to go to be competitive in this genre. At this point, the popular NBA 2K franchise has a full head of steam while Live is still trapped in the starting gate. And considering the cancellation of NBA Elite last year and now this, it might only be a matter of time before EA quits on this series altogether.

The problem isn't the price point, it's the reasons behind why Live has to be $19.99.

Steve McPherson: The price point itself isn't so much troubling as the reasons behind it being put out there at $19.99. There's a big difference between something that was designed around being a downloadable title—with tight focus, a lean, mean approach, and maybe a la carte DLC options—and one that has simply come up short and been shoved out to market at a discount. It's one thing to have two car options where one is a Lexus and one is a Corolla, and quite another when the second option is a Jaguar someone is selling cheap because it doesn't work.

The failure of EA to put together Elite and then to mothball the entire series until now doesn't speak well of this decision, and it would seem that the lateness of the announcement in relation to the release window indicates that this is an audible, not a designed play. In sports gaming, it seems like there's always the champ and the runner-up, and by making this move, EA is definitively placing themselves in the runner-up slot.

Now, do I think that Live might actually offer some interesting gameplay wrinkles? In fact, it could even do some stuff better than NBA2K13? It's theoretically possible, but that's where the price point hurts even more because by coming out at $20, EA is essentially asking us to take this game less seriously. Its successes will always be cast as being "good for a downloadable title" while its failures will be underlined by EA's decision to go discount bin with it right out of the gates.

Bottom line is EA might woo some consumers into giving it a spin, but it's not the way to build the brand back up. After all, what if it's a smashing success at $20 and they decide to bump it back up to a retail title at $60 next year? I can't see people standing for that.

Failure at this juncture could mean an end to the franchise.

Aaron Ondrey: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. NBA Live 13 will be released digitally in October, perhaps as the franchise's last-ditch effort for revival. I remember a time when NBA Live was the head honcho of basketball video gaming, and now, it will be a downloadable, $19.99 game.

From comments that I've seen on the Operation Sports forums, it seems like this may be the only option Live 13 has. Fans aren't happy, and the leaked footage wasn't impressive at all for a game that has been off of shelves for two years. A digital release gives off the impression from EA that they know they can't compete with 2k, and are hoping that dropping the price and creating an easy-access game via download can create some buzz.

I was always a fan of the NBA Live series. But as the franchise started to fall, I jumped ship. Personally, I would like nothing more than to see the series make a comeback and become relevant again. Nothing is better for fans of virtual hoops than to have both NBA Live and NBA 2k competing with each other again.

The question is, can NBA Live 13 even knock on the door to a comeback, or will that door be slammed shut for good?

What do you think OS'ers? Is the NBA Live franchise in trouble? Are you looking to buy the game at it's $20 price point? Sound off!

NBA Live 13 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 bigdoc85 @ 09/04/12 01:58 PM

A good idea for EA? A good idea for gamers?

It's a great idea for EA. They will make a decent amount on this. A lot of people will shell out $20 just out of curiosity.

As for gamers -- well, we'll see. I'd rather put $60 towards NBA2k13 and really enjoy the game for a long time. But I bet a lot of people will buy both.

I don't know why people keep expecting EA to act in the best interests of gamers. THEY ACT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THEIR SHAREHOLDERS! Why is that so hard to comprehend? A lot of gamers act like they are "owed" by EA -- don't get me started on the entitlement mentality -- that's what's wrong with America. If you don't like the game, don't buy it. No where in the Constitution will you find a right to quality games.

# 22 huntt26 @ 09/04/12 02:00 PM

EA should just take this game, put the players in college uniforms and call it March Madness. I'd buy it

# 23 23 @ 09/04/12 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdoc22


	It's a great idea for EA. They will make a decent amount on this. A lot of people will shell out $20 just out of curiosity.

Ill watch youtube and the forums and IF there is a demo(which im hearing is basically the same as the full game with some stuff just locked) and general impressions...im not shelling out money just to see.

Quote:


	As for gamers -- well, we'll see. I'd rather put $60 towards NBA2k13 and really enjoy the game for a long time. But I bet a lot of people will buy both.

That's cool too.., but its sad you'd be getting a better deal with Live 10 and updated rosters.

Quote:


	I don't know why people keep expecting EA to act in the best interests of gamers. THEY ACT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THEIR SHAREHOLDERS! Why is that so hard to comprehend? A lot of gamers act like they are "owed" by EA -- don't get me started on the entitlement mentality -- that's what's wrong with America. If you don't like the game, don't buy it. No where in the Constitution will you find a right to quality games.

I have yet to find one post that says THEY OWE ME, and thats whats wrong with posts like these.

We as consumers already showed we wouldnt buy crap on a stick. If im paying my hard earned money, I expect quality... there is no entitlement in that, thats expecting good service, thats what people want. Its too simple yet so not easily understood.

I think you're going way overboard with this as well with the whole rights and consitution stuff, which you're treading close to the political line of the TOS so you need to let that go

# 24 qbdaprizzle @ 09/04/12 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntt26


	EA should just take this game, put the players in college uniforms and call it March Madness. I'd buy it

yep same here

# 25 Blak_Baki_Hanma @ 09/04/12 02:20 PM

Maybe it's just me but EA has yet to acknowledge this game. As far as official news goes, there's an old pic of Kyrie and Rubio, and in late June there was the release of rookie OVR ratings...

That's it.

Then, by way of inadvertent leakage, we happened to see an uninspiring, unverified build of a poorly produced pre-alpha/mid-beta/post-omega/techni-bond/sterling-under-gold/give-it-a-name... and EA basically brushed it off.

So why is the community offering so much webspace to a game publisher that could apparently care less about its latest hoops title (due to release within a month without ANY news of its own existence)?

IS IT THAT BIG A DEAL?

Wow, another scrapped game is hitting the marketplace with absolutely no support from a questionable publisher... and?...
Doesn't this happen alllllllllll the time?

Don't we have real, tangible, genre-advancing games to discuss here?

Live is dead. EA is over it already. Why aren't we?

# 26 23 @ 09/04/12 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qbdaprizzle


	yep same here

Problem with that is, the last one they made they abandoned it after they sold it in stores with game killing bugs and a freezing glitch with no support and no answers

Why would you just buy it again on the drop of a dime?

# 27 Dazraz @ 09/04/12 02:30 PM

Not so much a good idea as it is a necessity. If NBA 2K didn't exist I have no doubt that NBA Live 13 would have been released full price at retail. But up against a far superior game the only way EA could release their basketball game was at a lower price. The decision to make it download only is obviously to reduce the cost of packaging & distribution.

# 28 King_B_Mack @ 09/04/12 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdoc22


	A good idea for EA? A good idea for gamers? It's a great idea for EA. They will make a decent amount on this. A lot of people will shell out $20 just out of curiosity. As for gamers -- well, we'll see. I'd rather put $60 towards NBA2k13 and really enjoy the game for a long time. But I bet a lot of people will buy both. I don't know why people keep expecting EA to act in the best interests of gamers. THEY ACT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THEIR SHAREHOLDERS! Why is that so hard to comprehend? A lot of gamers act like they are "owed" by EA -- don't get me started on the entitlement mentality -- that's what's wrong with America. If you don't like the game, don't buy it. No where in the Constitution will you find a right to quality games.

This post is so full of wrong I don't even have an appropriate gif for it. You know what's in the best interest of EA's shareholders? Selling video games. You know what's in the best interest of selling video games? Not making games so bad they have to be cancelled or put up for digital download cause nobody will pay a full 60 bucks for it. It's not a sense of entitlement that we as consumers expect people that want/need us to give them our money to actually be exchanging with us a quality product. If some of you guys' real, personal lives are run the way your internet personas are in terms of philosophies and the like, I shudder to think of what that life actually looks like now and moving forward.

# 29 23 @ 09/04/12 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirlonius


	I don't recall one mention from the people that saw the game said that the game is trash and shouldn't be released and we are all fools....They just said it needs work and that in the end their preference was 2k anyways. So I'm going to wait for the final product to make my decison.

So you just dont recall the small z99 video from E3 calling it something worse than trash?

I guess you can't say that anymore

# 30 keator @ 09/04/12 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntt26


	EA should just take this game, put the players in college uniforms and call it March Madness. I'd buy it

this.....

# 31 Brian_OS @ 09/04/12 03:35 PM

RIP NBA LIVE

# 32 Sinner @ 09/04/12 03:43 PM

Getting a quality game for 20$ is never a bad thing...no different than when 2k did it with their games back in 04...bad part is along with many of you from what we have seen of the video and heard from Smallz who saw it I don't believe this will be considered a quality game.

The game looked like trash in the "leaked" video..no other way to say it. People should really be upset that EA is releasing the game the way it is and wanting feedback to help them move forward, IMO if that's the case put the game out for free and actually listen and use the feedback.

I may be in the minority here but I think this move is a couple years to late, when they released the Elite video and it got talked about pretty badly they should have released Elite for download and asked for feedback...maybe they would have received a little more respect and people wouldn't be as upset in thinking you guys had 2 years to bring something better and you bring this?! If they had done this with Elite people would of course been upset but at least felt like EA is trying to make this franchise better or thought maybe they want our feedback to actually help make the game better.

Seems like EA (and again my opinion) is treating its fans like we are all casual fans, tell them its Pre-Alpha they won't know the difference, tell them we're giving them the game cheap they won't know the difference. Have a little more respect for your fan base and maybe you will get some back. I won't put down anybody that buys Live if it isn't much further along than what we saw in the video..its their money and their choice...but they also shouldn't be upset with people who are critical of the way EA is handling Live...again my opinions

# 33 bigdoc85 @ 09/04/12 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 23


	Ill watch youtube and the forums and IF there is a demo(which im hearing is basically the same as the full game with some stuff just locked) and general impressions...im not shelling out money just to see. That's cool too.., but its sad you'd be getting a better deal with Live 10 and updated rosters. I have yet to find one post that says THEY OWE ME, and thats whats wrong with posts like these. We as consumers already showed we wouldnt buy crap on a stick. If im paying my hard earned money, I expect quality... there is no entitlement in that, thats expecting good service, thats what people want. Its too simple yet so not easily understood. I think you're going way overboard with this as well with the whole rights and consitution stuff, which you're treading close to the political line of the TOS so you need to let that go

I'm just venting a bit so don't take my posts too seriously. Glad I stirred up some discussion here. Need to liven things up for NBA Dead (I meant, Live). I would argue with your comment that we don't buy crap on a stick - -we do -- and we continue to do so. And we also must remember that we, as more established gamers, only represent a fraction of the gaming purchasers. I'm sure a ton of non-gamer parents just plunked down $60 at WalMart or Target for Madden 13. Heck, a few weeks ago my mother-in-law told me she was going to buy my son MLB2k12 (we already have The Show). I told her -- that's fine, but don't spend more than $40 for it. Of course, she goes to Toys 'R Us, pays $60 AND buys the stupid game warranty for an additional $5! Ugh!

# 34 scatman @ 09/04/12 03:47 PM

I can't believe there are people willing to pay $20 for this. I'm sorry but that just seems asinine for something that at least to me, I couldn't tolerate that leaked youtube vid. I would ask anyone who seriously is considering buying this; why? What has EA done with basketball in the last 5 years that give you confidence in there ability to produce a solid title. I grew up playing the heck out of sports games. I just saw a video today (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz9u-yIMhK0) and that looks better than what was shown pre alpha stage live 13 and elite 11 combined!

Seriously, I played live growing up too. However I know quality when I see it. Please someone, give me the silver lining as to why I should explore this game. I have a hard time believing grown ups want to play a game that looks and plays this way. As 23 said, I'll look at youtube, maybe download the demo if there is one, but no way do I pay $20 for something I know I can't stand play, much less watch and thus it sits in my hard drive, or I delete it with no refund in site.

EA, you really want to get feed back, get a focus group, from here on OS and have them test it out. Or release the game for free. Anything EA makes on this is like found money. Go look at that vid and compare that to what we saw in pre alpha build....who would have thought in 2004 Live would become this? Sheesh!

# 35 riggs6taters @ 09/04/12 04:09 PM

Well I'm not saying I'll pay 20 bucks for this but I damn sure won't pay 60$ for 2K. So we'll have to see if this looks any different than that trash "pre-alpha" video that was leaked.

# 36 tehova @ 09/04/12 04:25 PM

I dont know if the digital release is a good idea or what, but I know since that gameplay video leaked I check this forum everyday for ANY kind of reply from EA.

Everytime I see new posts in the forum im like OK maybe they bout to drop that bomb like flex....

Nope, same threads from the day before. Still radio silence from EA

I try not to say much because I seriously seriously doubt I was ever going to purchase the game, but I would at least like to see what they have to offer.

# 37 yaboythecib @ 09/04/12 04:27 PM

here my comment in a nut shell.....

# 38 yaboythecib @ 09/04/12 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaboythecib


	here my comment in a nut shell.....

i'm open to all comment to explain why i might be wrong...gd or bad

# 39 noshun @ 09/04/12 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaboythecib


	i'm open to all comment to explain why i might be wrong...gd or bad

LOL you have a computer at your fingertips, and you didn't do your research. This vid of yours is inaccurate on most parts, and its hypocritical in others. It's clear by the lack of research on your part.
My advice, do some research, formulate your points better. Take this vid down, reshoot it, then repost the final draft. You're not even saying Tiburon correctly. What is Tirubon?

# 40 23 @ 09/04/12 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirlonius


	Damn that video was worse than the pre-alpha one.....Sure lets let some high school drop outs 2k fanboys tell us how it is....

So you come here name calling, in a very immature way at that... and you want us to think that actually dimisses the points that were made?

You didnt forget, OS, IGN and the others have you who also previewed this game? Are you going to call them all dropouts as well?

The lengths people go to, to defend something.

Quote:


	Here are some things unbiased normal people had to say..

So far if you're telling me its unbiased then its biased .. lets take a look

Quote:


	"Lastly, NBA Live 13 showed me many things. It showed me that by treating this game as a new IP it has allowed EA to be more creative and try new things into a franchise that they were losing control of. Although, the game still needs a lot of work, *they are moving into the right direction and thus might have a chance at being competitive if not better than NBA 2K 13* this fall."**

Quote:


	"Still, the overall look of the game is decidedly lacking at this admittedly early stage, with cartoony animations and, worse, the same hyper-speed, arcade-y gameplay pacing that we docked the last NBA Live for. Again, however, NBA Live 13 has plenty of time left on the shot clock to execute its play. We look forward to seeing what it�s got we get the controller in our hands."

Its been 2 years... they glossed over ALOT of issues this game has besides some vague remarks and the games go gold in about 2 weeks so they need to be submitted...hardly plenty of time

Quote:


	Still will await final product before I dish out hate to EA or anyone else who is excited about the game

I didn't know calling the video and ALL OF THE PREVIEWS and info we've seen til now is hate..again

Throwing around words as if it changes the fact of reality

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