Back in October 2019, EA Sports went public with the decision to cancel NBA Live 20. Citing various development concerns, EA decided to shelve the series until the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hit the market. With the new consoles now available, everybody is wondering: Where is NBA Live 22?
When EA Sports made its announcement, a couple of statements stood out to fans. The first was that the studio was “set on creating something fresh for the next generation of players and platforms”. The second thing was that it ended with a promise to “check back regularly with updates”.
Needless to say, there have been no updates whatsoever on the status of the game. Not even as much as a small check-in to say things are being done behind the scenes. And that’s because there isn’t much going on with the NBA Live franchise.
According to those close to the series, the NBA Live team has been moved on to other projects. Most of those developers and producers have been put onto the Madden development team. Even Connor Dougan, the former creative director of NBA Live, was moved to Madden where he is now the senior design director on Madden 22.
There’s still a small skeleton crew of staff looking at a future simulation basketball game, but that’s a long-term possibility. As far as anything soon, it would be surprising to see any game from the NBA Live series within the next couple of years.
What is EA Sports’ Plan for the Future Without NBA Live 22?
EA Sports is focused on the growth of current titles like Madden, UFC, FIFA, and NHL. On top of that, the studio is bringing back PGA Tour and College Football in 2022 and 2023, respectively. With those games being added to the library, it’s understandable why EA Sports wouldn’t put much focus into a basketball franchise that had fallen way behind the competing NBA 2K series.
Should a new basketball game come from EA Sports, it’s possible that it would be in the form of an arcade-type game. EA has been looking at a possible revival of the classic EA Sports BIG division, and there’s always that chance that NBA Street could be back.
If you really need that NBA Live fix, however, there are a couple options. The first is you can pick up NBA Live 19, and give that a go. Or, if you like playing on a tablet or phone, NBA Live Mobile still sees regular updates.
What do you think of EA Sports not releasing NBA Live 22, and moving away from the series again? Let us know in the comment section below, and stick with Sports Gamers Online for more.