EA Sports cancels NBA LIVE 13 for this year

Not long after delaying NBA LIVE 13's launch, EA Sports has decided to shelve the game completely for this year. EA announced today on their blog that NBA LIVE 13 has been canceled for this year due to it not quite living up to their expectations. This is the second time EA has decided to pull the plug on their NBA simulation game.

"We also made a commitment to deliver a high quality experience — this is what our fans expect and what we demand of ourselves at EA SPORTS. But making great games is not easy, and we're just not there yet on NBA LIVE 13," EA Sports Executive Vice President Andrew Wilson said.

"Having continued to look at the game over the past few days, it's clear that we won't be ready in October," he explained. Rather than attempt to launch midway through the season, EA has decided to sit out the full year and instead focus their time and energy on "making next year's game great".

"This decision puts us on the right track for success well into the future in a rapidly changing industry," Wilson added.

"I'm disappointed that we have not yet met our high expectations with NBA LIVE, but I remain motivated about where we're going. We're committed to delivering new innovation in online, and our progress in the visual presentation of the game continues to take big strides. We also know that a great game starts with great gameplay, and this remains a huge priority for us," Wilson concluded. "This wasn't an easy decision, but it's the right one for our fans. I hope you'll agree when you're able to play the game next year."

Fans can still get their basketball fix this year when 2K Games launches what looks to be a very promising NBA 2K13. Set to release on October 2, a demo for NBA 2K13 was recently released and it definitely impressed me.