The NBA may be pause thanks to coronavirus, but hoops fans are hopeful of a busy gaming year to come.
EA's foothold in the virtual basketball world wavered severely when they called off NBA Live 20 last year. When they did so it was with an aim of making an elite NBA Live 21. Is that now confirmed?
EA Sports "unannounced title"
EA's most recent financial report makes for some interesting reading.
Not only does it confirm their plans to release FIFA 21 and Madden 21 in the second quarter of the new financial year, but there is a small print that says they have an "unannounced EA Sports title" still to add to their calendar.
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This title is almost certainly NBA Live 21.
With FIFA, Madden, and NHL named in the report, that leaves just NBA Live 21 or UFC 4 as an option.
There's an outside chance that it could be a new Fight Night game too.
NBA Live 21 release date
There was little hint at a potential release date.
We know that the usual release window for NBA games is September/October. We are expecting NBA 2K21 around 4 September, and EA would surely want to compete with that release.
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However, coronavirus could yet play a part in that. With EA's focus on getting their powerhouse titles of FIFA and Madden out they could push NBA Live 21 back a bit.
There's also the worry that if the NBA doesn't start up again until October, you'd just need to patch and update the new game anyway.