NBA Elite 11 News Post

EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA Elite 11 (Press Release)

09:05 AM - June 2, 2010 by Steve_OS

EA SPORTS Set to Re-invent the Basketball Simulation Videogame Experience This Fall

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that NBA ELITE will be the new moniker of the long running EA SPORTS™ NBA videogame franchise. NBA ELITE 11 will revolutionize the way basketball simulation games are played, with an all-new technology base, a new control scheme and a real-time physics system. Currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 and the XBOX™ 360, NBA ELITE 11 will be available in retail stores this October.

“We plan to profoundly evolve the interactive basketball experience in a way that the category has not seen for a decade,” says Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “In NBA ELITE 11, we’ll introduce a gameplay experience that gives fans the control on the court that they have been begging for in a basketball game for years.”

Using the design principles from some of EA SPORTS top rated franchises, NBA ELITE 11 introduces several significant gameplay changes that center around user control. The new ‘Hands-On Control’ scheme allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to traditional predetermined animations that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-on Control applies to everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

The new real-time physics system in NBA ELITE 11 allows each player on the court to move independently of one another, removing the two-man interactions that have long taken the user control out of basketball simulation videogames. In addition, a new skill-based shooting system requires accurate user input, based on a player’s position on the court, versus the randomly generated dice rolls that have driven shooting in basketball videogames in the past.

“NBA ELITE 11 will give gamers the same skill set that a pro basketball player has at his disposal,” said David Littman, Creative Director, NBA ELITE 11. “This is the first basketball simulation videogame where you are controlling every movement, dribble move, shot, dunk, lay-up, steal and block in real time with one-to-one control. You’re no longer going to push a button and watch the computer generate a long animation sequence. It is like being on a basketball court with an amazing set of skills. This is going to change what people have come to expect from a basketball simulation videogame.”

“From the first day of development on this product, it was clear that we intended to pioneer a groundbreaking change in the basketball videogame segment,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. “It’s a whole new game that warranted a brand new name to fully capture the transformation we intend to deliver in NBA ELITE.”

Electronic Arts has been releasing basketball videogames since 1983. The first game, titled One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, was one of the first basketball games to feature real NBA players. The franchise was rebranded to become NBA LIVE with the release of NBA LIVE 95, a brand that has carried on for 16 years culminating in last year’s NBA LIVE 10. EA’s NBA-licensed franchises have sold more than 25 million units since 1995*.

NBA ELITE 11 will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system with an MSRP of $59.99. It is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Game: NBA Elite 11Reader Score: 2/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 5 - View All

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Member Comments

# 41 loadleft @ 06/02/10 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by therizing02


	Is there really any reason to be upset about this announcement? It's a freaking name change people!!! Who cares what they name the game? Regarding the physics and the new direction of the game, it's about time. The dev team is in the same house as the FIFA and NHL teams. Two of the most successful sports title at EA. 23's claim of the one dev cycle will be spot on. I'm not suspecting big things this year, but that doesn't mean the game will be unplayable and not fun. FIFA 08 was the first of a three year plan to get the gameplay right. While they added new game play modes, the core focus was to improve the on the field game play. There were no "back of the box" gimmicky features added over the 3 dev cycle. In the first year of the dev cycle, the player movement and physics were completely overhauled and changed. FIFA 08 was instantly light years better than anything they had ever put out. They stripped a few key things out like tactics, but the new physics model instantly increased the shelf life, playability, and fun factor of the game. In the second year, the physical play, contact, and jostling for position were completely ripped out and replaced with a new system that was again light years better than before. They added Custom Team Tactics and online team play. Finally in FIFA 10, the tackling, foul system were retuned for the better, some upgrades to Manager Mode, and retuning and refining other aspects of game play make FIFA 10 the best yet. It's debateable, but I think the slight changes made to FIFA World Cup make that game even better. NHL probably has a similar time line. I would suspect the same from the NBA Elite title. Just because it seems that they are starting from scratch doesn't mean next year's game will be unplayable. Let's just sit back and be patient.

If that's what all this means: 2 years of incomplete games and finally a complete one in 3, then the news is worst than I imagined! Let's hope this is not how it plays out either.

# 42 Bolt957 @ 06/02/10 05:15 PM

I wont be buying. Im tired of justifying the good that EA has like the dribbling. They haven't had a good overall basketball game since NBA Live 2004, 2005, and 06 and it was decent. This year, instead of buying both, Ill rent "Elite" through GameFly and buying NBA 2K11 from the store. At least their stepping their game up with MJ on the cover. They just need to get all those glitches out and correct faces and its spectacular.

# 43 ehh @ 06/02/10 05:16 PM

I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

# 44 therizing02 @ 06/02/10 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

I would recommend it, but you won't get the whole idea of the point without seeing the improvements that have been made over the course of the last three years. Even Madden is using some of the FIFA technology.......FINALLY.

Again, the mission for 3 years was game play only. A few new play modes here and there, but game play has been the focus. IMO, this is what the NBA series needs. Forget all of the BS back of the box features and silly game play modes and fix EVERYTHING on the floor.

As I stated, just because it's a 3 year dev cycle, and BTW, that was just a guess on my part, doesn't mean the game will be unplayable. Will it have controller throwing ridiculous moments? Probably, but most sports games do.

# 45 Jano @ 06/02/10 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgisyourfather


	I'm on the other side of the fence here. Frustrations are in the eye of the beholder? I'm assumign you mean just a game that plays well. Me personally I want something revolutionary. I've been playing sports games for a long time and the AI in these games gets very predictable. I like what EA is saying. Whether they do this is another story. One of the major issues i have with Madden and Live is the way players and the physics and AI of the game coexist. It's like a rubberband effect. You move one way the AI reacts a certain way that isn't realisitic. If you've ever played Madden or Live and really look at what the AI is doing it's like a rubberband. Each player doesn't react individually. One of my biggest frustrations with live 10 was how when you would drive the lane you'd see that same hanging in the air animation over and over. You could basically also let the cpu just drive the lane and into traffic and they wouldnt gauge what you were doing. the AI would just chuck up shot after shot in traffic. It was very repetitive. The reality is these developers are finally getting with the program. This rubberband physics and AI needs to go and needs to be replaced with more indivualized physics and AI. The hardware is there for it. It's been there for it. Most of the AI and physics in these games is the same AI and physics we've seen since generations past.

Im in agreement with you here and frustration is on that person for sure. Some people found 2K10 fun I didn't and while Live 10 had its good moments for the most part it ended up leaving me frustrated.

The new physics and control being implemented in this years game is what's keeping me optimistic. The main thing I've always wanted in a bball game is for it to be a more organic experience much life real life.

Elite 11 has a chance to achieve that imo so i'm definitely going to keep an eye on this one.

# 46 bigeastbumrush @ 06/02/10 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 23


	A one year dev cycle is a one year dev cycle, thats all im saying.

...........basically!

# 47 Onpoint17 @ 06/03/10 12:45 AM

Sounds like a lot of technobabble to me.

# 48 Sens4life @ 06/03/10 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	I need to DL a demo of FIFA and see what this stuff is all about.

Yes, yes you do. Either that or this year's World Cup version, they're pretty much the same.

# 49 Sens4life @ 06/03/10 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nike Fattz


	Though it had it's problems, Live 10 wasn't, and isn't bad. I personally enjoyed it more so than I enjoyed 2k10.

I completely agree. Other than asinine moves like the CPU passing to a defender who is out of bounds, and shooting from behind the backboard, I love NBA Live 10. It feels so much better than 2K10. NBA 2K10 has some of the best presentation of any video game I have ever played though.

# 50 BrianFifaFan @ 06/03/10 04:57 AM

Two words, David Littman. That dude has worked wonders with the NHL franchise. I was really worried about the game going "arcade." There is no one in all of of EA Sports that believes in sim more than Littman. Hopefully they can do the controls without having to totally rip the game apart. I really felt the game had real promise last year. I'm kinda excited agian. We'll see....

# 51 ehh @ 06/03/10 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianFifaFan


	Two words, David Littman. That dude has worked wonders with the NHL franchise. I was really worried about the game going "arcade." There is no one in all of of EA Sports that believes in sim more than Littman. Hopefully they can do the controls without having to totally rip the game apart. I really felt the game had real promise last year. I'm kinda excited agian. We'll see....

But he's not a basketball guy! /sarcasm.

# 52 ScoobySnax @ 06/03/10 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolt957


	I wont be buying. Im tired of justifying the good that EA has like the dribbling. They haven't had a good overall basketball game since NBA Live 2004, 2005, and 06 and it was decent. This year, instead of buying both, Ill rent "Elite" through GameFly and buying NBA 2K11 from the store. At least their stepping their game up with MJ on the cover. They just need to get all those glitches out and correct faces and its spectacular.

MJ on the cover won't make the game better. They gotta fix those extra clunky controls first. This isn't about the other game though.

I'm liking the new direction of Elite 11. Hopefully, we'll see some kind of trailer at E3 (I doubt we'll see any meaningful gameplay vids). Gameplay starts with the controls. If you get that right, you have a chance to get my $60.

# 53 Sovartus @ 06/03/10 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onpoint17


	Sounds like a lot of technobabble to me.

No man, it's the real deal this time. It's going to change everything. Some people will embrace it and move forward and others will hold onto the familiar and bash it. They are really giving us what we have been asking for for a long time.

# 54 tpe14 @ 06/03/10 11:11 AM

Yep, I have a feeling this year it's going to be a huge success for ea.

# 55 the croz 1027 @ 06/03/10 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovartus


	No man, it's the real deal this time. It's going to change everything. Some people will embrace it and move forward and others will hold onto the familiar and bash it. They are really giving us what we have been asking for for a long time.

Sov. I have jumped on this bandwagon more than a couple of times already. This sounds good, but if they don't put a bunch of work into leagues and overall presentation it will not be a winner in my book. Hope I am wrong but last years hope was on Mike Wang and now he is gone and we think it will be better? Not sold.

# 56 Sovartus @ 06/03/10 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the croz 1027


	Sov. I have jumped on this bandwagon more than a couple of times already. This sounds good, but if they don't put a bunch of work into leagues and overall presentation it will not be a winner in my book. Hope I am wrong but last years hope was on Mike Wang and now he is gone and we think it will be better? Not sold.

Live 10 was a solid game. Mike did good things at EA along with the other guys there. I'm sure Mike will impact 2K like he did before just like the new guys on EA will make a big difference as well. This isn't about hyping up the game, it's about informing people about the changes and new direction the Elite team has taken. I don't think anyone can touch 2K's league structure and we are all spoiled on that.

# 57 dexvex @ 06/03/10 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollywood82


	Has anyone taken a look at the 3 screenshots that they have up. They look terrible! Every player looks pissed off. Despite its massive list of issues NBA 2k series is still by far #1

No, its not. 2k is definitely the more complete game but live 10 had it beat in alot of areas.

# 58 tpe14 @ 06/05/10 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexvex


	No, its not. 2k is definitely the more complete game but live 10 had it beat in alot of areas.

agree. 2k is more realistic but live (now elite) is more enjoyable to play

# 59 tonybologna @ 06/05/10 12:42 AM

In the famous words of John McEnroe. "You Can Not Be Serious"?

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