EA Sports is again delaying the release of “NBA Live,” the latest in a series of issues for the troubled video game franchise. The company last night said that “NBA Live 17,” which had been slated for a springtime release, is now being targeted for the fall. The move recalls two scrapped versions of the game that ultimately led to a four-year absence between ’09-13. EA Sports for much of the past decade has struggled to produce a simulation basketball game capable of competing with 2K Sports’ dominant “NBA 2K” series. “As everyone knows, we have been on a journey with ’NBA Live.’ It’s something that we remain very committed to, with our partnership with the NBA, and we want to deliver something that is truly innovative and disruptive in the marketplace,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. “We had planned a launch in the not-too-distant future with what we believe was going to be the first step towards that level of innovation and creativity ... we got the game and it’s really, really good and a lot of fun, and we feel like we are better positioned to launch that with the fullness of the NBA season ahead of us.” EA last night reported earnings for its fiscal Q3 ended Dec. 31, with revenue rising 7% from the comparable period a year ago to $1.15B. The company’s soccer title, “FIFA 17,” ended calendar year ’16 as the best-selling console title in the world.
