File this one under “saw it coming a mile away”. In the wake of EA’s cancellation of the Madden series on PC, word on the street has it that the videogame publishing giant has also put an end to the PC version of their long-running basketball series, NBA Live. Sports gaming blog Pastapadre has the scoop, though we’re being cautious for now because they didn’t provide any official source, and the story couldn’t be found anywhere else on the Internet.
Like the Madden cancellation, this move leaves PC gaming NBA fans in the lurch; EA’s main competitor, 2K Sports, only makes their series (the NBA 2K games) on consoles. In other words, there won’t be any more officially-licensed basketball videogames on the PC. So I guess you guys’ll have to go back to not-playing NBA Jam on your computers...
This seems like another business decision by EA to ‘cut the fat’, if you will — after all, you have to wonder: who’s been buying these games on the PC? I mean, if Madden wasn’t selling well enough to warrant keeping it going on the PC, then very few sports franchises are probably going to be sticking around. In fact, if you go back to our story on the Madden cancellation and check out the paragraph that was quoted from Peter Moore’s blog, there are different ways to interpret it.
Pastapadre suggested that the Tiger Woods and FIFA games likely have the best chance of continuing to be made, and I’m inclined to agree. Unlike most other sports, golf is well suited to the mouse mechanic (it works fantastically for swinging), and EA has mentioned that they’re trying to go global with the FIFA brand. However, our own Ron Workman believes that Moore meant that all of EA’s PC sports games will eventually be gone. What do you guys think, and will any of you miss driving and dunking with your keyboard and mouse?
[Via Pastapadre]
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Umm...I honestly don't think there's been a gaming story that I've cared about less than this one. I'd like to meet the kind of people that but NBA games for the PC, so I can give them very, very uncomfortable looks, until they cry.
EA's masterplan:
1) buy entire game industry
2) cancel every game in existance
3) ???
4) profit!
I am shocked and appalled! Well, er, not really. It does suck for the tens and twenties of people who actually did buy an NBA Live title for the PC.
Say it ain't sooooOOOooooo... Eeee Aaaaa is a heaaaartbreakeeeerrrrrrr!
I guess releasing the same game year after year with an updated roster for full price, along with the resulting lack of sales, is starting to take its toll.
@Some Jerk: I think their financial losses are somehow related to #1. Maybe EA somehow thought they could pull this off since Cisco, Microsoft, and Google did, but you don't see businesses standing in line to buy from EA like you do for the others.
All the PC gaming basketball fans are busy playing Barkley: Shut up and Jam: Gaiden.
Tiger Woods PC+Glove Pie=the ultimate Woods experience.
EA would be fools to force PC gamers to stop recreating courses online and force us to buy a game with only 12. As it stands, they don't even help the community anymore. I want that series back in EA Canada's hands, at least they weren't souless.
Why show a picture of Stewie from Family Guy and not a picture of Hudson (Bill Paxton)?
[ur=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY[/url]
[scratches head]
lame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY
@Mustin
Maybe Samit has never seen the movie. Truly sad state of affairs if so and he should turn in his gamer card.
Who buys sports games for the pc anyway?
@JamnOnTheOne: Nope, I’ve never seen Aliens. I agree, it’s sad that I haven’t...but what does it have to do with me being a gamer?
So you unwittingly referenced a reference. This is far to meta for me.
Plus go see Aliens. It has nothing to do with being a gamer but everything to do with being more awesomer.
I hope fifa is cancelled too and then inevitably racing games.
Then only rts and fps will be represented in the wcg and other tournaments.
I will never understand the appeal of sports games given how much more enjoyable it is going out to play a few holes of golf in comparision to some imitation hastily made by EA.
They ported sports games to PC?
How will PC sports gamers live?
I will slap anyone who uses that initial phrase, just because the situation calls for a slapping.
How hard is it to write a PC port of an XBox 360 game? I think I am more upset that EA is taking away all the good competition in the sports game genre.
Look at PC CPUs, where would Intel be today if not for AMD pushing them to stay ahead. Now that EA's done away with some sports gaming competition they have no reason to do better. Just keep releasing the same crap. I mean what else are you gonna buy.
Ok, still upset about Madden mostly, and I don't even play Sports games, but I do when my sports buddy friends come over. (No Local Coop in Madden 08? Explain that one)
Death of EA.