Outside of NBA Jam, EA hasn't done a whole lot with basketball games. EA's last non-Jam NBA title was NBA Live 10; from 2011 upwards, the series was renamed NBA Elite — a title that failed to launch after being delayed indefinitely. In February 2012, EA announced that their next installment would return to being NBA Live 13. That was scheduled for a Fall 2012 release, but was cancelled on September 27, 2012 when it was clear the game wasn't ready for release.
EA's NBA games shifted from EA Canada to the Orlando-based EA Tiburon with NBA Live 13, while EA Canada worked on the reboot on NBA Jam.
Now, it appears that Electronic Arts is holding playtest sessions on April 11 and 12 for a "New NBA Concept." According to NLSC, EA Canada is inviting anyone in the Vancouver area to fill out a survey if they are interested in getting involved. They survey asks what platforms you use, how much you like various sports, and how hardcore of a gamer you are with various sports titles.
This would suggest that a new NBA game is in the works by the studio. When Polygon reached out for more details, a spokesperson had no comment on the survey or concept and said while EA "doesn't have any announcements yet on NBA Live," development on the franchise is continuing at EA Tiburon.
That said, a "New NBA Concept" for Electronic Arts could be simply not delaying and canceling an NBA game. Or maybe they're trying to figure out how to incorporate micro-transactions and always-on DRM into their NBA games. #whoknows
You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com
[Polygon]
