There has been a sense of uncertainty surrounding EA’s NBA title in recent months. Little to no word from anyone affiliated with the game led fans to question whether or not we would be seeing another release this year, or for that matter, whether we would be seeing a release again.
Well we now know the answer to that question. A statement released on Twitter last Tuesday announced that there was exciting progress on the NBA Live title, but there was not to be an NBA LIVE 20 this season.
The statement goes on to say that ‘we have our sights set on creating something fresh for the next generation of players and platforms’ which indicates that there will be a release further down the line but no definitive timescale.
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So the question now is, what do EA need to do to bring this title back to life? The contest between EA and 2K for the best NBA title has been well and truly won by the latter, so its going to take something pretty special from EA to bring fans back over to their side.
Time
Now this may seem relatively straightforward, but the main thing which EA need to do is spend time on the game.
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It’s not like they are unable to create a smash hit sports game, FIFA is the biggest selling sports title in the world, with Madden a dominant force too.
Whilst the football sim may split opinion amongst fans in terms of the way in which EA go about developing their game, spending far too much time on Ultimate Team and far too little on other game modes such as Career Mode, you cannot question FIFA's success.READ MORE: How EA can learn from 2K for NBA Live
That success is down to the fact that EA spend hour upon hour developing the game, graphics, gameplay, player faces etc. This is something which seems to have been neglected in the NBA Live series in recent years, with the only real reason to buy a new title being the updated squads, which caused many fans to make the switch to the ever-changing 2K.
Listen to the fans
Now again, another simple step to help improve the game but one which EA very rarely do, listen to the fans!
They know what they want from a game and if EA want players to come back, they are going to have to give them what they want. As a basketball gamer myself, I know that if EA were to incorporate a FIFA standard Ultimate Team game mode into their NBA series, it would make me think twice about which title I’d be buying.
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It seems strange to put the words 'good' and 'server' in the same sentence involving EA but that is what’s holding the 2K title back, with ‘#FixNBA2K20’ trending just days after the release of 2K20.
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If EA can bring a stable server to their next NBA sim, there are plenty of disgruntled fans who would jump onboard.
How do 2K do it?
No one wants to admit that their rivals are better than them, you always want to be the best. But if EA can accept that 2K are doing it better, for the time being at least, they could take inspiration from what they do.
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Look at 2K20 and what that game offers fans, four or five top quality game modes, an incredible detailed and visually crisp Career Mode and the fan favourite Blacktop.
Now we’re not saying that EA should copy 2K, because that would be pointless. But if they look at what 2K are doing well and what 2K players enjoy about that particular sim, they can ensure that the decisions they are making with regards to their new game are ones which basketball gamers will buy into.