Rumors have surfaced that EA Sports representatives are telling attendees of GameStop's annual expo in San Antonio that NBA Live 13 will release as a digital only title and will cost $20 on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.
The gaming website IRBGamer is reporting that the site had an interview with an EA Sports representative, who divulged the details regarding NBA Live's price and digital release. The long-running franchise disappeared from retail shelves after the disappointing release of NBA Live 2010, which hit store shelves back in 2009.
"It's been almost 3 years since we've released an NBA title," the EA representative told IRBGamer. The decision has been made to not put the game on disc. Live will be looking at a price point around $19.99."
EA Sports' last effort at a basketball video game was the re-branded and canceled NBA Elite 11, which was notoriously abandoned just one week before release in 2010, after videos of game play and an early demo created an outcry from fans and the industry. The most famous video of the flawed game featured former Laker and current Philadelphia 76er Andrew Bynum frozen at mid-court.
EA Sports' Tiburon studio was then given the reigns and decided to remake the game under the Live moniker again. EA made the announcement in written statement on the EA Sports website.
"We have a new studio and a new development team, and this fall we'll launch an all-new experience that captures the future of basketball with NBA Live 13," wrote EA. "We're looking forward to players giving us their feedback on the game, and next month we'll welcome in fans from around the country to join in on the process of creating NBA LIVE 13 as well."
The move to release the game as a digital title is not surprising for a company that has recently been promoting the future of digital content. EA is making an interesting move by releasing the game at a $20 price point. The move is similar to what EA Sports Madden NFL's chief rival 2K Sports did back in 2004 with its release of the NFL 2K5 title for $19.99.
Only time will tell if the digital release will be successful. What do you think about NBA Live releasing as a digital-only title? Comment below...