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]
Contest:
7:32 PM on 04.13.2008
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1) buy entire game industry
2) cancel every game in existance
3) ???
4) profit!
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.
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.
[ur=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY[/url]
[scratches head]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0qD0aA2bY
Maybe Samit has never seen the movie. Truly sad state of affairs if so and he should turn in his gamer card.
Plus go see Aliens. It has nothing to do with being a gamer but everything to do with being more awesomer.
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.
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)