NBA Live 14 News Post

Sean O'Brien Issues Apology for NBA Live's Quality, Promises Improvements

05:28 PM - November 22, 2013 by The 24th Letter

Let's face it, it's not often you see a gaming company not only apologize for a lackluster release but also vow to make tangible improvements to the product before the next version releases.

NBA Live 14 Executive Producer Sean O'Brien is doing just that, commenting on the rough week the folks at EA have had with the largely hugely negative feedback on NBA Live 14 and vowing to improve the title.

"We hear loud and clear that some of you are disappointed in various aspects of NBA LIVE 14, and I�m sorry if the game doesn�t live up to your expectations," O'Brien said. "Looking at your feedback, we have laid out a plan to make NBA LIVE 14 a better game as quickly as we can."

The plan to improve NBA Live 14 will involve Twitch Live streams to teach the skills that will help make the experience with Live 14 a better one by teaching about the gameplay mechanics within the game as well as blogs on the EA website. Currently there are three new posts on the Live website: a controller guide, perfecting your style, and levels of dribble.

O'Brien is also promising tangible improvements to the game. Graphics and animations will see "drastic and immediate" improvements in the coming weeks and months within the game.

With such a negative reaction thus far to Live 14, it is definitely a good sign that EA is ramping up to improve the product post-launch with so much support. This bodes well for the series' future, but this also puts EA behind the 8-ball to truly improve the Live experience sooner rather than later.

Game: NBA Live 14Reader Score: 4/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 17 - View All

NBA Live 14 Videos

Member Comments

# 101 yungflo @ 11/24/13 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTF


	Looking forward to how this plays out. NBA 2k14's Day 1 patch was 2GB's to download, if I remember correctly. Wondering what type of "patch" they can issue to make an unplayable game, playable.

I think the patch for 2k14 was mainly for online capabilities..Which were still not fixed entirely. A patch isn't saving this game..neither is a tutorial on twitch. This isn't really an apology, they are standing behind this thing firm.

This is "I''m sorry you guys don't know how to play live(cause we didn't implement a tutorial system after being absent four years.) The game isn't terrible, you guys just don't know how to play it. So we'll teach you. Not on youtube. No a FREE DLC tutorial? Patched game mode? Nah. How? Twitch.So that only a fraction of our consumers will see...(seeing how we may or may not intend to capture recordings and leave them on our channel.) Gameplay rocks and in order to make it rock, we had to sacrifice on Graphics. But DAT GAMEPLAY THO! You'll see.

End translation.

# 102 Flightwhite24 @ 11/24/13 08:16 AM

So they are gonna fix it right? Let me know how that turns out. Lol

Sent from my iPhone

# 103 Valdarez @ 11/24/13 08:32 AM

What I don't get is how they can take years off releasing a game, and then release a game of inferior quality. Just doesn't make sense, even though I believe there was a studio change in there.

# 104 myersia @ 11/24/13 02:20 PM

Random thought....it's a big what if

What if EA knew that they weren't ready to release back around August. So they came up with a plan...let's release the game as is in November accept the bad ratings and all. But from August on let's work on a patch that will make the game as we planned and release it in December. We will type the letter up and finalize it in October and release it after we see the response to the game. Then bam in December when we deliver this "so called patch we put together in a month" all will be well. All the fans will think that we did this for them in a short period of time and increase our overall trust.

# 105 jwtucker710 @ 11/24/13 02:26 PM

Didn't care for NBA Street, for those who are posting it. That's not the direction they need to take LIVE. EA did NBA JAM remake after the dismissal of ELITE, so players would have some form of basketball game from the EA pipeline. Anyway, too arcady.
So, not sure what happened with the development of LIVE 14. Bounce Tek; new dribbling mechanics � not bad player models (not nearly as good as 2K's but not horrible. WHere is all of that?). So, I'm guessing they just couldn't meet the deadline to get what they wanted done, and they kind of had to put out something when the new consoles released. The game doesn't look as bad as what people are making it. Looks like it plays similar to LIVE 10. But I understand, who wants to fork over $500 for a new console and basketball game and just get a cleaned up version of LIVE 10, with the graphics structure on current gen? LIVE 14 is just a current-gen model but on the new-gen, which is a big rip-off, obviously. I think what pisses people off more is that EA and LIVE'S producers had time to develop a good game.
That said, just throwing it out there, but I think EA SPORTS is finished. 2K can buy that division out at this point. They should at least try.
EA SPORTS, their only top-selling game is Madden and NCAA football. Now with the lawsuit there will be no college football for next-gen. So there goes that game, which NCAA 14 was pretty good this year. I kind of like it better than Madden. I will add in NHL and FIFA, which are good games themselves, and sell OK, but can't imagine them holding the department together. WIth the LIVE 14 debacle, gotta wonder if the EA SPORTS division can hold on. We'll see.

# 106 2kfanatic @ 11/24/13 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feevision


	SHOULDNT BE A NEXT GEN TITTLE FOR 60 BUCKS ... THE GUY FROM EA THAT APOLOGIZE SUCKS..I DONT EXCEPT YOUR APOLOGY HE KNEW IT WAS GARBAGE BEFORE IT WAS RELEASE I DIDNT HEAR HIM SAYING NOTHING THEN ..THEY WAS HYPING IT UP ... THATS LIKE KNOWINGLY SELLING A PERSON A CAR THATS A LEMON THEN APOLIGIZING AFTER THEY BUY IT ,...LOL NO REFUND...U GUYS REALLY ARE GULIBLE IF U THINK HIS APOLOGY IS SINCERE

Did you buy the game? If not then I don't think EA is apologizing to you.

# 107 MannyFresco @ 11/25/13 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.C


	lol this game is dookie on a stick and any future patches for said dookie stick is like sprinkling sugar on said dookie on a stick.

lol...that sums it up I guess but, to be serious about this situation. Its okay for us to dis this game because it deserves it. I only hope as basketball game fans that our anger and concerns is heard by the guys at EA. 2k14 has 4 years on Live in terms of development and experience. If you guys remember, 2k11 was the start of the new engine that they are still using today with many, many tweaks and improvements. That game came out in October 2010. That was the year that live said screw it. So since then EA has been scrambling with that dumb *** Elite 11 engine till they scrapped that too. My point I made in my first post in the topic has to do with honing the skills and talents of the development team with one direction and focus. EA has not been doing that. My point was not really talking about next gen. As you guys can see, Next Gen 2k is a somewhat port of current gen's engine with tweaks and additions. IF EA sports had done that with NBA Live's engine since then. There isn't a doubt in my mind that today we would be having a MUCH different discussion. I think 2k still would be a tad bit better but, It would maybe be a 60/40 split for 2k instead of the about 95/5 split it is right now...and that 5% is being generous.

# 108 YoungBuck3 @ 11/25/13 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwtucker710


	Didn't care for NBA Street, for those who are posting it. That's not the direction they need to take LIVE. EA did NBA JAM remake after the dismissal of ELITE, so players would have some form of basketball game from the EA pipeline. Anyway, too arcady. So, not sure what happened with the development of LIVE 14. Bounce Tek; new dribbling mechanics … not bad player models (not nearly as good as 2K's but not horrible. WHere is all of that?). So, I'm guessing they just couldn't meet the deadline to get what they wanted done, and they kind of had to put out something when the new consoles released. The game doesn't look as bad as what people are making it. Looks like it plays similar to LIVE 10. But I understand, who wants to fork over $500 for a new console and basketball game and just get a cleaned up version of LIVE 10, with the graphics structure on current gen? LIVE 14 is just a current-gen model but on the new-gen, which is a big rip-off, obviously. I think what pisses people off more is that EA and LIVE'S producers had time to develop a good game. That said, just throwing it out there, but I think EA SPORTS is finished. 2K can buy that division out at this point. They should at least try. EA SPORTS, their only top-selling game is Madden and NCAA football. Now with the lawsuit there will be no college football for next-gen. So there goes that game, which NCAA 14 was pretty good this year. I kind of like it better than Madden. I will add in NHL and FIFA, which are good games themselves, and sell OK, but can't imagine them holding the department together. WIth the LIVE 14 debacle, gotta wonder if the EA SPORTS division can hold on. We'll see.

Fifa sells "OK" lol?

Quote:


	FIFA 13 sold more than one million copies (1.23 million units in 48 hours) in the United Kingdom in its first week of release (the fourth game to do so after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3),[39] [40] and topped the UKIE charts on all formats week ending September 29, 2012.[41] 4.5 million copies were sold worldwide in five days, with 7.4 millions units sold four weeks after its release, which makes the game the biggest videogame launch of 2012 and biggest sports videogame launch of all-time according to EA.[42][43] As of May 2013 FIFA 13 has sold 14.5 million copies.[44]

# 109 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 06:23 AM

I don't think it was finished. So I do not give them props. I think a lot of you are being too easy on them

# 110 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Poe


	Whatever. You had three years to come out with a good product. At least score in the7-8 range. All reviews have this in the 4-5 range. They just put something out to get quick money. They didn't even try.

Was only about a year

# 111 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 06:28 AM

I honestly don't think EA has the resources nor the know how to make a good NBA game anymore.

# 112 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 06:30 AM

Nahh. Madden is all right. But don't feel bad, I feel like I lost my 60 bucks too

# 113 kpax1�1 @ 11/25/13 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GisherJohn24


	I honestly don't think EA has the resources nor the know how to make a good NBA game anymore.

I mean... It's EA they'd probably a lot of resources to make anything great but they are just incompetent enough to do it.

# 114 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 11:03 AM

Don't really know. Madden is competent, Golf is solid, NHL is consistently good, Soccer also. So not sure why bball is their worst sport now. Maybe bball is really just that hard to develop for?

# 115 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 11:26 AM

They certainly didn't mention the mediocrity this game had on those awesome trailers weeks before release. Covering their butts I guess.

# 116 El_Poopador @ 11/25/13 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GisherJohn24


	They certainly didn't mention the mediocrity this game had on those awesome trailers weeks before release. Covering their butts I guess.

he never said the game was mediocre.

# 117 strobox88 @ 11/25/13 06:57 PM

Guess I should thank 2k for this. I might just thank EA after it's all said and done if they can manage improve this game enough to make it seem not as outdated.

# 118 GisherJohn24 @ 11/25/13 07:56 PM

What would be the reason he would want to apologize for? The greatness? Of course he's admitting mediocrity

# 119 potsey7 @ 11/25/13 08:39 PM

I've got an honest question...no sarcasm intended. When they are making these games do they ever look at the competition and say "wait a minute, our game doesn't look nearly as good" and go back and work on it a little more? Or "man our dribbling mechanic doesn't work as well as another game i've played" and go change/refine it? It's like the techs live in a bubble and never see or touch another sports title

# 120 Fiddy @ 11/26/13 09:13 AM

did O'brien every apologize for having Littman on the dev team and trying to turn the NBA game into an NHL one? i swear, that is where this series went down hill, is when he was in charge of the game. so frustrating!

with that said, im enjoying Live 14. some solid stuff in there despite its flaws. i just hope a patch or two makes it a bit better and that we see a version next year.

« Previous 1 2 3 4 567 8 Next »

More Links

Sean O'Brien Issues Apology for NBA Live's Quality, Promises Improvements