Originally set to go head-to-head with NBA 2K15, EA Sports has revealed that they will be pushing back NBA Live 15 in order to “polish the game.” The title is now scheduled to be released on October 28, and will exclusively launch on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Now set to coincide with the start of the 2014-2015 NBA season, EA Sports is hopeful that this additional development time will help NBA Live 15 stand out against the more popular NBA 2K15. They’ll need all the help they can get, however, as last year’s iteration of the franchise was badly beaten both in sales and critical acclaim by 2K Sports’ popular franchise.
To further explain the three week delay, developer Sean O’Brien took to the EA Sports blog to clarify.
Considering all the work that’s gone in so far, we will be taking a few extra weeks to polish the game and make sure you get an incredible NBA experience from the moment you first boot up the title. This extra development time means we will be moving our launch date to October 28 to line up to opening night of the 2014-15 NBA season. This was a hard decision, but it’s the right one, as we are totally committed to delivering the highest-quality game we possibly can.
As someone who got burned by last year’s edition, I do hope that NBA Live 15 turns out better this year. Competition is good for business after all, and if the team at EA Sports can muster any sort of opposition to the NBA 2K juggernaut, I think we’ll be better for it. Early footage has been promising, but I’ll be holding onto my cash until final impressions roll in.
We will continue to bring you the latest news on NBA Live 15 in the lead-up to its late October release date.