NBA LIVE 14 marked EA's return to professional basketball after a three year hiatus. Despite the hype leading up to its release, NBA LIVE 14 failed to live up to expectations. In an open letter posted just days ahead of E3, NBA LIVE 15 Executive Producer Sean O'Brien assured basketball fans that the team is "laser-focused" on delivering the depth and polish one would expect from an EA Sports game.
"As I’ve said previously, we know we fell short in two major areas with NBA LIVE 14. 5-on-5 gameplay didn’t have the depth and polish of an EA SPORTS game and our visuals just weren’t up to expectations for a next-gen title," O'Brien admitted. "We’ve been laser-focused on making sure that this isn’t the case with NBA LIVE 15 and I’m really excited with our progress in those two areas."
"We’ve scanned a majority of the league, and the new player heads, combined with refined player models and new lighting, makes our characters look really amazing. I’m looking forward to sharing more details in the next few weeks, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with everything we’ve done with our visuals this cycle.
"We’ve also seen some great progress with gameplay that makes the experience more realistic and, most importantly, more fun with a much better overall flow. We want teams to play just like their real-world counterparts, and to that end we’ve spent a lot of time this season talking with NBA coaches to better understand their schemes and philosophies, which we can then implement in-game. Another equally important area of focus is improving flow and responsiveness in every area where you touch the ball, and we feel that shooting, passing and dribbling all feel much better this year."
O'Brien acknowledged that EA has "very lofty goals" for NBA 15, but I think that's important given the competition by 2K Games NBA 2K series.
Outlining their plans of NBA LIVE 15, O'Brien said they'll be sharing gameplay details in July, with in-depth insight provided through August and September. All of this will lead up to NBA LIVE 15's release for Xbox One and PS4 on October 7.
"We know we’ve got a lot to prove this year, and we’ve got a solid plan in place to provide you with all the details and take the first steps to making NBA LIVE 15 a game you’re excited to play," O'Brien concluded.
