EA Sports' canceled NBA Live 13 was supposedly going to be release today digitally on Xbox Live Arcade, according to a story first reported by Joystiq. Microsoft community guru Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb wrote on his Twitter account that the previously rumored digital release of NBA Live 13 was going to be today.
"NBA Live 13 was supposed to be today's XBLA title," wrote Hryb on Twitter. "But EA made the decision not to launch it today."
He also referred his followers to check out a link to EA vice president Andrew Wilson's Sept. 27 announcement of the game's cancellation. NBA Live 13 was presumed to be a re-launch for the famed series.
The series last release was NBA Live 2010, EA then attempted to retool the series under the new name NBA Elite 11, but the game's demo was met with criticism after glitches were publicized. The demo's most famous glitch involved in-game players becoming stuck in the middle of the court. The game was canceled before its release.
In February 2012, EA announced that NBA Live was back during All-Star Weekend in Orlando. EA said at the time, "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. We're looking forward to players giving us their feedback on the game."
But last week Wilson announced on the game's official site that the game was canceled because of quality concerns even though the company had originally thought they were on the right path to making a worthy entry in the franchise. Wilson expressed his disappointment with the failed game, but also stated that the company is committed to delivering a better game.
"I'm disappointed that we have not yet met our high expectations with NBA LIVE, but I remain motivated about where we're going," Wilson wrote. "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 game play, and this remains a huge priority for us.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."
Joystiq reached out to EA Sports about Hryb's tweet, but only received a response of "no comment" from the game company. What do you think about EA's cancellation of the game? Do you think it could have still been competitive with 2K Sport's NBA 2K13? Read about some of the issues gamers are having with NBA 2K13 here. Comment below...
