EA Sports last night said the company will delay the release of its upcoming “NBA Live 15” basketball title from a planned retail release of Oct. 7 by three weeks to Oct. 28. The postponement is the latest hit in an extended series of problems for the beleaguered video game franchise that has included two canceled editions, a third year entirely absent from the marketplace and a poorly reviewed release last year. “NBA Live” Exec Producer Sean O’Brien said the additional time will be used to “polish the game,” but acknowledged the move arrives amid a difficult backdrop. O'Brien: “This was a hard decision, but it’s the right one, as we are totally committed to delivering the highest-quality game we possibly can. The team took on an incredible amount of work this year, literally touching every single system in gameplay, focusing on providing improved control and responsiveness as well as animation that both looks and feels great. This will be our calling card moving forward." The new release timing will coincide with the start of the real ’14-15 NBA season, and is three weeks after the release of 2K Sports' "NBA 2K 15," the rival basketball simulation title that annually is one of the most-popular sports video games in the U.S. See the full sports business portfolio for
Electronic Arts at Resource Guide LIVE.