Some of us go way back with NBA Live. We're probably in the minority, but we remember a time when NBA Live was the premier brand, or at the very least, holding its own against NBA 2K. We've seen the struggles launching on the past two generations, and changes in plans/direction that haven't helped the series at all. I think most of us would agree that the lack of focus on the NBA side of things as far as core gameplay and modes, before expanding into the new experiences involving The Streets and whatnot, hasn't done the game any favours.
I've written a couple of Monday Tip-Off articles about this, which I'll shamelessly plug here as background reading for the discussion.
Can NBA Live Be Relevant Again?
As a long-time basketball gamer that grew up with NBA Live, it gives me no joy to dump on the franchise. I believe that there are content creators out there who delight at the series’ struggles and subsequently ripping into it, but I’m certainly not one of them. For all the great things that NBA 2K has done, the slips in quality here and there, and of course the increased focus on microtransactions, demonstrate why it’s important to have choice and competition in the basketball gaming space. Some say NBA Live should just pack it in, but frankly, we need it, and we need it to succeed.
Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done. NBA Live has struggled to get to where it needs to be over the past decade. Again, it brings me no joy to say that, nor do I relish pointing out that not only has its quality suffered, but so has its relevance. Indeed, a friend of mine who isn’t really into basketball, but picked up NBA 2K20 on special after watching The Last Dance, mentioned he was surprised that EA Sports doesn’t have a new basketball game out. It’s not surprising that someone who isn’t into the scene doesn’t know the full story behind the fall of NBA Live, but nevertheless, it speaks volumes about its relevance today. The question is: can EA change that?
The Right Direction for NBA Live
Needless to say, the past decade has been tough for NBA Live. Through cancelled titles and skipped years, the series has seen only five releases during that span. There have been promising aspects and good ideas present in those five games, and it could be argued that at least a couple of titles have been solid, but EA Sports has failed to move the needle. NBA Live is still languishing far behind where it needs to be as a viable alternative to NBA 2K and the enormous gulf in sales speaks volumes. NBA 2K has its issues, but NBA Live hasn’t been able to capitalise on gamer frustration.
The good news is that the door hasn’t been slammed shut on NBA Live. Thanks to a combination of readily apparent potential and 2K squandering goodwill, there is still interest in seeing NBA Live return to its former glory. Unfortunately, the series’ steps towards reaching that goal haven’t been as large as many of us would’ve liked, and one of the main reasons for that is the direction of the series. More specifically, this includes both the particular choices that have been made, and the tendency to change direction too often. NBA Live needs to have the right focus moving forward, but that raises the question: what is the right direction for NBA Live to take?
I'd definitely appreciate people checking out those articles (and leaving comments if so inclined), but basically, my take is that NBA Live needs to focus on being a well-rounded NBA sim again, improving across the board and providing adequate depth, rather than focusing on The Streets and a non-existent "younger, new demographic", because those people are already playing NBA 2K and need NBA Live to be a viable alternative in order to even consider it. Again, the "NBA" part of "NBA Live" needs to be the focus again, and everything else - LIVE Events, Court Battles, The Streets, etc - should be alternative experiences that are built off of that sim core.
I don't think NBA Live should try to be NBA Street, because it can't adequately fill that role. NBA Street has a distinct style of gameplay that's far more similar to NBA Jam, and while there are issues with the realism and whatnot in NBA Live's gameplay, it's still sim style. It's not 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 with no rules and high flying dunks, and other exaggerated abilities common to the arcade style. It's a sim game that's falling short of the depth and quality we expect these days (and in some cases, what we expected some 10-15 years ago).
Last year I wrote another article touching on this matter: "Should NBA Live Be More Like NBA 2K?". To summarise that column, NBA Live needs to cover some common ground with staples that are expected of an NBA sim, though there are things it should do its own way, and it's important that it has its own hooks (like The Streets or Court Battles) that provide something different. The bottom line is that NBA 2K has been successful because it's given basketball gamers what they want out of a basketball game. To do things differently just for the sake of being different is folly; like putting triangular wheels on a car just because all the other car manufacturers have round wheels. NBA Live needs to borrow the best aspects of NBA 2K, while also bringing its own good ideas to the table. That's how it will compete, how it can be a viable alternative again.
As long as NBA Live has the wrong direction - and I would suggest the fact that the current plan hasn't sufficiently moved the needle suggests that it is the wrong direction - it can't be the game it needs to be in order to succeed. It needs to get on track and stay the course. Chopping and changing direction has put the series in the hole that it's in, while consistency and patiently building on a solid foundation turned NBA 2K into a juggernaut. I'd also suggest that tuning out the older voices in the community has been to the series' detriment, as younger NBA 2K YouTubers who don't have a history with (or any affection for) NBA Live aren't the target audience for the game, or the ideal group for quality constructive feedback.
It's hard to remain optimistic, but NBA Live would take a major step forward if EA chooses the right direction, allows the developers to stick to that plan, and of course, provide the necessary resources to get the job done. I hope it can happen because we really need at least two sim games in the basketball gaming space, providing a viable alternative and keeping each other honest. As I outlined in this week's article, EA also needs to do a much better job of engaging with the community and building hype for the game, because the silence is deafening and does little to assuage concerns, get people excited, or simply keep the name in people's minds in any kind of positive light. Bringing back missing features and staples of the genre, and focusing on the NBA side of things and building out from there, is the only fresh start or concept NBA Live needs to consider.