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EA Sports’ NBA Live Title Rebranded NBA Elite 11

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:34:41 +0000

The NBA Live rebranding initiative that was leaked last week courtesy of an Official Xbox Magazine preview has finally been confirmed by EA via the press release issued today.

The “NBA Elite” name officially announced today puts an end to the NBA Live moniker and it’s 16 year long run dating back to 1995. If EA Sports is willing to scrap that, one’s got to wonder — could a Madden rebranding be next on the list? Gruden NFL 12 anyone? How about a game of Generic Patriots’ Coach NFL 13?

Read on for the full press release filled with classic EA Sports marketing lingo and a few quotes addressing new features available in the NBA Elite 11 release such as a “Hands-On Control” scheme that promises to deliver “one-to-one responsiveness” between player decision and on-screen reaction, and the addition of “real time physics” allowing for independent AI movement on the court.

EA Changes the Game, Announces NBA ELITE 11

EA SPORTS Set to Re-invent the Basketball Simulation Videogame Experience This Fall

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that NBA ELITE will be the new moniker of the long running EA SPORTS™ NBA videogame franchise. NBA ELITE 11 will revolutionize the way basketball simulation games are played, with an all-new technology base, a new control scheme and a real-time physics system. Currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 and the XBOX™ 360, NBA ELITE 11 will be available in retail stores this October.

“We plan to profoundly evolve the interactive basketball experience in a way that the category has not seen for a decade,” says Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “In NBA ELITE 11, we’ll introduce a gameplay experience that gives fans the control on the court that they have been begging for in a basketball game for years.”

Using the design principles from some of EA SPORTS top rated franchises, NBA ELITE 11 introduces several significant gameplay changes that center around user control. The new ‘Hands-On Control’ scheme allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to traditional predetermined animations that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-on Control applies to everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

The new real-time physics system in NBA ELITE 11 allows each player on the court to move independently of one another, removing the two-man interactions that have long taken the user control out of basketball simulation videogames. In addition, a new skill-based shooting system requires accurate user input, based on a player’s position on the court, versus the randomly generated dice rolls that have driven shooting in basketball videogames in the past.

“NBA ELITE 11 will give gamers the same skill set that a pro basketball player has at his disposal,” said David Littman, Creative Director, NBA ELITE 11. “This is the first basketball simulation videogame where you are controlling every movement, dribble move, shot, dunk, lay-up, steal and block in real time with one-to-one control. You’re no longer going to push a button and watch the computer generate a long animation sequence. It is like being on a basketball court with an amazing set of skills. This is going to change what people have come to expect from a basketball simulation videogame.”

“From the first day of development on this product, it was clear that we intended to pioneer a groundbreaking change in the basketball videogame segment,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. “It’s a whole new game that warranted a brand new name to fully capture the transformation we intend to deliver in NBA ELITE.”

Electronic Arts has been releasing basketball videogames since 1983. The first game, titled One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, was one of the first basketball games to feature real NBA players. The franchise was rebranded to become NBA LIVE with the release of NBA LIVE 95, a brand that has carried on for 16 years culminating in last year’s NBA LIVE 10. EA’s NBA-licensed franchises have sold more than 25 million units since 1995*.

NBA ELITE 11 will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system with an MSRP of $59.99. It is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

*According to the TRST/NPD Data

EA Sports Announces Dwight Howard as NBA LIVE 2010 Cover Athlete

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:35:53 +0000

Make less than ten baskets (6 of 16 from the field) in your team’s first two NBA Final games, and you too can grace the cover of EA Sports NBA LIVE … assuming you look really cool with a Photoshop blur effect. Congrats Dwight Howard, aka “Superman”, now stop playing like the court is made of Kryptonite. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Three-Time NBA All-Star Currently Looking for First NBA Title

Redwood City, Calif. – Thursday, June 11, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, will be the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10. A three-time NBA All-Star, Howard is currently looking to lead the Magic franchise to their first NBA Championship. The No. 1 pick of the 2004 NBA Draft was the 2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, an All-NBA First Team selection the last two seasons, and stole the show at the 2008 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest with his superhero antics. Additionally, Howard was the starting center of the 2008 U.S. Basketball Men’s Senior National Team which won the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. NBA LIVE 10 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

“It’s an honor to be named as the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10,” said Howard. “This year has been a crazy ride and this is a cool way to cap it off. Of course – there is one more thing I’m on the hunt for that would complete it.”

Featuring several innovations to the core gameplay experience and online game modes, NBA LIVE 10 is bringing a renewed focus to the long-running EA SPORTS basketball franchise. The groundbreaking Dynamic DNA service, driven by Synergy Sports Technology, will make a return in NBA LIVE 10, with significant improvements that will allow players to connect their game to the NBA season like never before.

Along with Howard, regional NBA LIVE 10 cover athletes for France, Germany, Spain and Italy will be named at a later date.

The NBA LIVE franchise has graced multiple generations of consoles for over 15 years, and has sold more than 35 million units lifetime. The game will be available for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information, log onto www.nbalive10.com. Media can find screenshots and pack art of the game at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®.

NBA Live 09 Demo Hits Xbox Live

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:35:05 +0000

Something in this image shows how the Celtics cheated, I’m just not sure what it is.

Electronic Arts has released a demo of NBA Live 09 today. New features like the Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling, and Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers will make the NBA Live experience so much more fun.

The demo, which weighs in at about 694 MB, gives players the first chance to check out NBA Live 09 as you recreate the 2008 NBA Finals matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. You can choose to play with their current rosters or take it to another level by stepping back in time and playing two different games based on the player’s performance in two of their classic matchups with the all new feature called NBA Rewind.

If I’ve got anything to do with it, I’ll make sure this year’s Finals matchup is entirely different and have the Lakers end up winning — the way it should have been back in June.

I actually already had a chance to get my hands on NBA Live 09 when I went to E3 back in July. Check out my hands-on preview of NBA Live 09 and then hop onto Xbox Live and download the demo now!

Source: Major Nelson

E3 08 Hands-On Preview: NBA Live 09

Rangebar Merani — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:44:16 +0000

I just got a chance to play a game of NBA Live 09, and I gotta say I was really impressed. I was a fan of NBA 2K 08 last year, but I think EA might have the upper hand this year with all the new features and gameplay enhancements.

Let me start off with the EA Sports presentation of NBA Live 09, which took place yesterday.

It started off with Peter Moore introducing the game, but he quickly revealed a surprise guest to the stage: Basketball Hall of Famer and current NBA analyst Bill Walton, who suddenly stole the stage with his presence, humor and overall knowledge of basketball.

He totally won over the crowd and was my favorite part of the conference. To reiterate what Chad said, if Bill Walton was on the stage during the whole EA press conference, it would have been so much better. He was just that awesome.

Ok, enough about Mr. Walton – back to my impressions of NBA Live 09.

During the NBA Live 09 presentation, we saw cinematic gameplay and then we actually got to see the game running for the first time. The animations and player details look superb, easily keeping up with the likes of the NBA 2K series.

The biggest feature added to this year’s NBA Live (based on how many times Peter Moore mentioned it) is the Dynamic DNA, which is essentially a daily update of players and teams playing tendencies.

For example, say there is a real life NBA game going on one night, and Paul Pierce happens to drive to the basket cutting left the majority of the night. Following that game, Dynamic DNA will update the statistics of Paul Pierce in NBA Live 09 making it where he’d most likely be successful when cutting to the left.

Another example of how Dynamic DNA works is if a real life player is making a majority of his shots from one area of the court, that same player will be able to make those same shots in NBA Live 09 because that will become his “hot zone”. It kind of reminds me of NBA Jam’s hot spots, but just not as easy to pull off and the ball doesn’t catch on fire.

I got a chance to finally play a copy of the game today at the EA Sports showcase. I picked up the controller and was immediately impressed with the fluidity of the controls and the graphical detail to not only the players, but the fans and the stadium as well.

I got a hands-on demonstration of how the Dynamic DNA works and it’s just as cool as I thought it would be. It keeps the game as fresh as possible with daily updates. Honestly, I haven’t been this excited for a basketball game in awhile.

Just imagine getting all the latest stats and playing styles of all NBA players during the middle of the season. No more stats and rosters based off of the season before. Oh, and speaking of rosters, Dynamic DNA will also feature the ability to update any mid-season trades or cuts, as well as injuries to any players.

Another feature that I noticed, which kind of coexists with the Dynamic DNA, is the NBA Live Rewind. This all-new feature gives gamers the ability to take a look at stats from previously played NBA games, and use those same stats in the game you are going to play.

For example, say you are playing as the L.A. Lakers and your opponent is playing as the Boston Celtics. You can use NBA Live Rewind to look up the actual matches the two teams played against each other, and use the stats from one of those games. NBA Live Rewind is a really neat idea and gives players just another way to play the game.

Other than the Dynamic DNA and NBA Live Rewind, not much else was discussed during the presentation, but other features including the Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling, Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers and FIBA tournaments have already been revealed for the game.

With the basketball season just recently coming to an end, I can only wait to get my basketball fix this fall when NBA Live 09 is released.

Top Ten Developers – #6 Electronic Arts

James Fleming — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 19:09:34 +0000

Just like its advertising campaign, EA is BIG. The company made net revenue of over 3 billion dollars in 2005 and continues to grow. The recent acquisition of BioWare will only continue to drive this monster forward. This along with its near-monopoly on professional sports games could prove to be a bottomless well for future earnings.

However, EA is so big that it has actually made its inclusion on this list a difficult undertaking, due to its predominant status as a sun-eclipsing monster publisher. But it cannot be denied that EA's logo is found on so many must-own titles that it has to be acknowledged as an iconic developer.

Electronic Arts got its start when the director of product marketing at Apple decided to head out and establish his own venture back in 1982. The company would turn out to be Amazin' Software, later updated to the far superior call sign of Electronic Arts.

"We See Farther, 1983 EA Advertisement" Artists listed left to right.
Top: Mike Abbott, Dan Bunten, Jon Freeman, Anne Westfall, Bill Budge
Bottom: Matt Alexander, John Fields, David Maynard

Early on EA made its debut doing what it does best-- publishing. A publisher that would step out of the spotlight and let their developers bask in the public eye, EA would develop a reputation for giving their staff the credit they were due.

In 1983, EA released the now classic M.U.L.E. This little piece of software would revolutionize gaming with its multiplayer focus, and would eventually be ported from the Atari 400 to the Commodore 64, PC, and even the NES.

The game was great but it still wasn't an EA original. That feat wouldn't come until many years later when the classic skateboarding title Skate or Die! hit shelves in 1987. Skate or Die! didn't set any milestones, but it would hint at the sports-focused direction that EA would head towards in the future.

EA is such a massive firm, with their hands in so many pies, that it isn't easy to find out which games were developed completely in-house and which games were constructed by their smaller development companies. Many of the games bearing the EA logo were not actually developed by EA, but a subsidiary.

What cannot be debated about Electronic Arts is that they have cornered a significant market share. EA turns out an annual collection of new professional sports titles that mostly go unchallenged, and the rate at which players eat it up is awe inspiring (anyone remember the Madden addicts on MTV?).

The reason that these games do so well is that kids grow up wanting to field like Derek Jeter. They long to throw the pigskin like Joe Montana. They practice dribbling for hours to get that Alan Iverson crossover and stay out on the greens past sundown to sink that amazing 15-footer they saw Tiger Woods nail in the Masters. Kids want to be their heroes. So why not let them? That's what EA said back when it started its line of licensed sports games back in the late 80's, and the whirlwind is still going strong today.

After the success of Madden Football and NHL Hockey, EA decided to devote a specific branch to sports development. That fork in the road would be known as EASN. Catchy name huh? Well too bad ESPN had all four lettered acronyms on lockdown. The new name would have to have a sub-label on every box, leading to the more familiar EA Sports being created. So now with a new name, a new box style (the famous all-white cases) and a fresh new batch of official licenses, which EA is the biggest purchaser of, Electronic Arts would be ready to take no prisoners in the 16-bit console war.

EA Sports NBA Live 97 -- watch out for those steals!

The 16-bit era truly built the empire of EA that we know today. Their contributions to the Sega Genesis would make it a console seller. But not one to discriminate, they would develop for the SNES as well. This is when many of the series we still play today would be born-- Madden, NHL Hockey, NBA Live, Knockout Kings, FIFA, PGA Tour (later named Tiger Woods) and Triple Play Baseball (dubbed MVP Baseball in 2003) would all be born from this era.

If you like sports games, then chances are at some point in your gaming career you've had one of these white-boxed beauties stashed in your entertainment center ready to collect dust when you get the update and never play the old version again. And why would you? You've got the new one, and the new one has better announcers, updated graphics and improved puck/ball/racket/bat/club control than the one before it.

Maddenoliday commercial promoting the annual release of Madden

Therein lays the genius. Not only did EA corner the market, but they made it so that they can get repeat customers year in, year out. You may not like sports games, but a lot of people dig em', and EA is the hardest hitter out there delivering the goods. EA publishes a lot of games, but as far as development is concerned, sports games are the golden goose. EA has become one of the biggest publishers of video games in the world, and EA Sports was the BIG reason for that. Like the slogan says, “it's in the game”.

Must Haves:
Madden '08 (Multi),
NHL '08 (Multi),
FIFA '08 (Multi)

Have Nots:
Rugby '08 (PS2),
NASCAR '08 (Multi)

Top Ten Developer List: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1