NBA Live? More like NBA DEAD
Remember how NBA 2K16 was the best-selling US retail game in September, toppling even Madden and Metal Gear Solid V? Well, that one is made by 2K.
Electronic Arts also makes a basketball game, NBA Live. NBA Live was so bad EA stopped making it for several years and then tried to reboot it with NBA Live 14, which was bad, and kept on giving it a try with NBA Live 15 and, this year, NBA Live 16. NeoGAF extrapolation of those same NPD numbers has NBA Live 16 US retail sales at about 8,000 to 2K16‘s over 1 million.
PastaPadre notes seeing no more than 120 people (connected online) playing, even at peak hours. The revived Live has gone from claiming 2-3% of basketball market to less than 1%. Just like last time, consumers have an idea of which basketball game is good, and which one blows, and they just aren’t buying the latter. Even if EA could make Live good next year, the franchise name is so damaged (again). I can’t expect EA to keep at it much longer.
Just make another NBA Street with Mario characters.
No one bought NBA Live 16 [PastaPadre]
NPD Sales Results for September 2015 [Up2: Nintendo Numbers] [NeoGAF]
