Gameplay Designer Scott O’Gallagher Leaving EA Sports For 2K Sports?

[ThaLiveKing]

Sad to see him go, but I'm thinking it's creative differences. Most NBA Live gamers don't really play Sim, they play an arcade style basketball, as Scott called it "Nerf Hoop" Nothing wrong with that, but I just think Live wasn't catering to it's name. NBA Live was about Pace, if you wanted to play up and down, you could do that, if you wanted to play half court, you could do that, Live 14, you can only play one way, and that's a slow paced game, and I think that's why people didn't like it (among other reasons). I still play the game (because I love Ultimate Team) and if you kept the game as long as I have, you would see that they opened up the game play. It's not as fast as I would like it to be, but compared to when the game shipped to now, the game doesn't play too restricted, if you understand what I'm saying.

If a game is too Sim, it's not fun for the casual gamer, and like it or not, you have to cater to them. That's why you have to open up the game and let the game flow properly, because people want to play the game how they want. Scott was a Sim Head and it showed in the game play, not really a bad thing, just WAY TOO SIM. A lot of those features that are in Live 14, like the Play calling system is good, I actually like it better than 2K's, but the game needs to be simplified for people who just want to pick up and play. (FIFA + NHL simplified controls scheme)

A lot is riding on this NBA Live 15, regardless of what EA is spilling to the public. I'm glad the graphics are updated, I'm glad Sean O'Brien is writing his blogs telling us that we'll love the overall flow of the game, but with their track record, all that is, is talk. All these blogs don't mean ish until you fix the game play. No more hiding the game. BSing everybody, just puts you even more in the Loss colum. Show us what you got and let us judge it!!!

Thanks for reading this rant lol!!

[nick_sr]

Quote: Originally Posted by iTz GoRiLlAz

Have you guys seen his Twitter Bio it still says he works for EA and lives in Orlando! Interesting..

a lot of ppl don't change their bios for awhile.

[Rams_3]

Hope everything works out for dude.

[Ermolli]

I don't know how this will affect Live 15 or future installments but I expected more from this O'Gallagher led Live team with Live 14. It rubbed me the wrong way some of his attitude, the "Nerf Hoop" call to anyone who didn't play or liked Live 14 and how defensive he was with "his" game; maybe Live will be good without him or maybe not (hopefully the first one), time will tell.

[CoreySA]

As someone who has spent a lot of time with NBA Live over the past few years, I feel like some of the comments in this thread need a bit of guidance in regards to the situation.

I worked with Scott since day one on NBA Live 13 before its cancellation, and have had numerous conversations with him, and there is no denying his intelligence on the game of basketball. Look, I can tell you first hand that Scott thought Basketball first, not video games first or EA/2K first. He's a basketball head, and his ideals and motivations would have mimicked what any "sim" basketball player wanted to see in their games. While I don't have intimate knowledge of what he tried to improve in the game, I can tell you his intentions were to create an authentic experience, but you also have to realize he joined the team under dire circumstances, in the midst of NBA Live 13's cancellation. He wouldn't have had a say in that title and my guess is he tried to add as much as he could to Live 14, but realize that he isn't the creative designer either. He wasn't in a leadership role, and therefore I think it's unfair to pin any blame on him. As a gameplay designer, you share as many ideas as you can, but ultimately it's not your decision what is placed in a game and what is not. Sure, he was the voice of the game last year, but that's because he understands the game of basketball front to back, not because he was in charge of the title.

As for what happened, I'm just taking the "wait and see" approach, as I feel like the speculation as to why he left will never be fully clear. Sometimes people just want a change, or sometimes they're looking for more. Who knows. What I do know, is that OG would have brought his expertise to the table because I saw those interactions take place on numerous levels. If he did leave, or joined the competition, he'll end up in something basketball related because it's in his blood, and wherever he ends up, they'll be much better for it. There was a tall mountain to climb after the Live 13 cancellation (please just trust me on this one), and OG & co. put in a lot of work to fix that mess.

As for NBA Live 14, let's be clear, it didn't live up to expectation, we all know that, and there is a huge amount of pressure on NBA Live 15 to deliver the goods. Let's be honest, we've had one good NBA Live game in 10 years. That's unacceptable no matter who's on board, so let's hope that we get that product this year. As for this, NBA Live 15 is coming with or without him, and if he's moved on, then I'll be excited to see where he ends up and what he can do with that opportunity.

[Gramps91]

This is interesting. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing though, depends on what he was responsible for.

[seanhazz1]

How can EA expect to fight for the NBA video game title, if they can't keep their innovations and design talent in house? (Wang, OG) I expect to see something from NBA LIVE in the next 2K. I am hopeful for LIVE 15, but this is a bigger move for 2K, which sorely needs better ideas in their series, IMO.

[loosey101]

Corey, thanks for the post, very informative. I think we all want 15 to succeed, we love being able to choose which NBA game to play and have a hard to deciding because both bring something to the table. I guess when you put it like it makes me a little more concerned with the decision. Hopefully EA gets it together before October.


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