NBA Elite 11 Message Board

#stickjockey Inside a publisher or a studio, there are few surprises when a video game bombs in its reviews. Before it goes from gold master to warehouse to retailer, the focus groups are empaneled, the "mock reviewers" are contracted, and their verdicts are in. Everyone knows roughly where the game will land in the all-controlling 100-point scale of Metacritic. It takes hubris and delusion on the scale of Too Human or Kane & Lynch to be blindsided by a bad review score these days. More »

#breaking EA Sports today cancelled its troubled NBA Live 13 project. It is the second time in three years that sports video gaming's dominant publisher has pulled the plug on its NBA simulation at the last minute. More »

#easports Though recently promoted to Electronic Arts' chief operating officer, EA Sports' old boss, Peter Moore, still is involved with products coming out of that division. And in an interview with IndustryGamers, he said he doesn't expect their next NBA simulation, due in 2012 after a two-year hiatus, to compete with NBA 2K More »

#collectibles In sports collectibles, one company's mistake is another man's fortune. (Ask Billy Ripken.) Five months after NBA Elite 11's embarrassing cancellation, copies of the game are still circulating over eBay - as well as box art, download cards, and other mementoes of the game that never was. More »

According to CEO John Riccitiello, EA's perhaps unprecedented decision to cancel NBA Elite 11 so late in its development was his. "There aren't many decisions that are essentially squarely on my desk," he told Kotaku. "This was one."

Riccitiello found this to be the least worst solution to the problem of a game riddled with bugs on the eve of release -- a "bad game," as EA Sports' Andrew Wilson put it. Either EA could have launched the game as it was (against the impressive NBA 2K11 competition), delayed it beyond the limited release window for basketball games (which would have drastically reduced market share and given the team less time to work on the next sequel), or it could cut its losses. "So there's the table: You can ship a product you're not proud of and compete for marginal share; [or] you can delay the game to get a better product, but that's going to have a knock-on effect," Riccitiello recalled. "And we made what I judged to be the best call given the circumstances."

The cancellation of Elite was tempered by EA Sports' ability to quickly assemble a standalone release of NBA Jam for PS3 and Xbox 360, but it did mean that the company would not release a simulation-style competitor to go up against the NBA 2K series this year. Riccitiello seems okay with that outcome. "I don't think the consumer was served badly by buying 2K," he admitted. "It's a good game. And I think we're better served." As for releasing the full version of NBA Jam on more platforms, Riccitiello believes "people got to see what a good game that is" ... since the downloadable version got benched alongside Elite.

#cancellations The last-minute cancellation of EA Sports' NBA Elite 11 this fall isn't supposed to happen to any video game. How? Why? Kotaku learned the unusual story this week from EA boss John Riccitiello. More »

"It was just going to be a bad game." And with that, Andrew Wilson, EA Sport's head of worldwide development summed up the reason behind the cancellation of what was meant to be this year's premiere installment in the basketball series reboot. Speaking with IGN, the executive noted that although NBA Elite's controls showed promise, the idea of having one stick for dribbling and shooting, and the other for movement, needed more time to percolate.

Wilson explained, "At the very core, we have to build a great game first and foremost." The executive also noted that the company's decision to move all future production of the NBA Elite series to Madden developer Tiburon shouldn't be seen as a slight against EA Canada.

Wilson made no mention of the NBA 2K11 wrapped van that pulls up to EA headquarters every Sunday at noon and, while nobody is around, lets Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick out to deliver his most heartfelt rendition of "Danke Schoen."

Editorial: In an industry obsessed with annual sequels, EA did the unthinkable.

#mobile Have we done this joke? We have? We have. Alas. Well, Kevin Durant can tell Dwight Howard that he did in fact star on the cover of this game, even if it's on the iPhone and not a console. More »

EA Sports has decided to give NBA Elite 11 the longest delay possible, updating the game's release date to never. EA's John Schappert confirmed during a recent investor's call that "we have elected to cancel NBA Elite 11."

Elite attempted to completely rework the basketball game, abandoning the gameplay and namesake of EA's long-running NBA Live franchise. The gamble appears to have backfired, and development is being moved away from EA Canada to the studio famous for Madden. "Future development of that franchise will be handled at EA Tiburon in Orlando," Schappert added.

#easports Electronic Arts has officially killed NBA Elite 11. The delayed basketball sim has been completely removed from the publisher's slate with EA's chief financial officer Eric Brown announcing its death during an investor call. More »

EA pulls the plug on basketball game.

#disturbanceintheworkforce EA has issued its latest round off layoffs today, describing them as "season roll-offs," which sounds much more pleasant. According to sources claiming knowledge of the situation, EA Canada, developer of Skate and NBA Elite, bore the brunt of those cuts. More »

#iphone EA Sports' decision to indefinitely delay NBA Elite 11 doesn't affect plans for the mobile version of the game. It will arrive later this month for iPhone and iPod Touch, and will take advantage of the iPhone 4's high-quality display. More »

EA might have stopped the presses of NBA Elite 11 console discs, but the iPhone version is still on track for release this month, according to EA Mobile. The division announced its fall lineup today, with FIFA 11 and EA Sports MMA rounding out the sports titles for iPhone (and iPod Touch) in October. Additionally, Heroes Lore, a popular mobile RPG in Korea (we're told), will be released this month in the App Store.

An iPhone version of Battlefield Bad Company 2, "based on the best-selling console game," leads EA Mobile's November charge, which includes High Caliber Hunting, a Retina Display-enhanced critter capper, featuring a multitude of brand-name firearms and gear. For iPad? There's SimCity Deluxe.

And for poor Android this fall? Just ... the Game of Life.

#nbadelete The guy who won an eBay auction for a bona fide retail copy of the indefinitely-postponed NBA Elite 11 will be playing the game and streaming it live in about 40 minutes. More »

#nbadelete NBA Elite 11 was indefinitely postponed on Monday, a week before its commercial release. I didn't receive any disc pre-release (for review), but conceivably they might exist somewhere in the wild. One allegedly just sold on eBay for $255. More »

#nbadelete Kevin Durant, the cover athlete for NBA Elite 11, "spoke with noticeably more sullenness" in his first comments since EA Sports indefinitely postponed the game. Hearing the news first via Twitter probably did not help his mood. More »

#easports Yesterday, we reported that a delay of NBA Elite 11's release lasting past the end of the year jeopardizes the sale of as many as 1.1 million copies. Today, the analyst offering that estimate put a dollar figure on it. More »

#easports The most fateful day for NBA Elite 11 was not Monday, Sept. 27, the day it was postponed indefinitely. It's Sept. 21, the day it was crucified. More »

NBA Jam pack-in game still coming this holiday.

#clips After fooling around some with the demo I can say one of the bright spots of NBA Elite 11 is its commentary and presentation. The total integration with ESPN's graphics, wipes and music helps sell the authenticity of the call. More »

Anxious to check out EA's reboot, NBA Elite 11? There's a 927 MB demo on Xbox Live right now, sitting on the bench, waiting to jump into the game. While you queue up the download, you should probably get a feel for the new controls. Just saying!

#soundtrack Soundtracks in sports titles are typically a compilation of licensed works from recognizable artists. NBA Elite 11 this year changed course, going with a fully custom soundtrack composed by producer 9th Wonder and J. Cole, from Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. More »

#woops A demo isn't the finished product. But Andrew Bynum hilariously stuck in the Jordan Wings pose at midcourt is not what NBA Elite 11 wants to see less than a day into its demo. NSFW language in the players' reactions. More »

#demo The demo for NBA Elite 11, teased in this video, will be available later tonight over the PlayStation Network, and early in the morning on Xbox Live. More »

Hey everyone, its Yaw here again – NBA Community Manager from Electronic Arts Canada. As I eluded to in August, we have a whole new game this year with more to offer than ever before. It’s finally demo time, and with all the changes we’ve made to the game we wanted to make sure that you got a chance to scope it all out by downloading it on PSN. Here is a sneak peek into what you can expect in this year’s demo.

One of the key changes we made this year was introducing all-new Hands-On Control. This puts the control of the player in your hands, and gets rid of the dice-roll shooting, canned animations, and loss of control you’ve experienced in past NBA Basketball video games. Like putting in time at the gym, there’s a learning curve with Hands-On Control. But once you feel the difference, you’ll know why we changed everything. To compare Hands-On Control to the old button configuration, you can switch back in your Lakers-Celtics game in the demo through Pause-> Menu -> Setting -> Control Setting. We really encourage you to put in the time in Practice Mode with the Hands-On Control and feel the difference versus our old controls.

We’ve also introduced an all-new Become Legendary – Be A Pro mode. In the demo you’ll be able to create your own legend and start your career in the Jordan Draft Showcase game. You can carry your pro into the retail version of the game and create your own path to becoming a legend. If you pre-order at GameStop, you can also get an exclusive Jordan Brand boost pack for your Become Legendary player.

This is only a small piece of what we’ve done to change the game this year, and bring you the ability to actually control the outcome of the game. With all this, Real AI, Real Physics, and EA SPORTS Basketball Association, we hope you enjoy what the development team has worked so hard to bring you this year, the next generation in NBA video gaming.

And don’t forget, when you purchase NBA ELITE 11 you’ll get three modes of NBA JAM included free.

So check out the demo soon on PSN, practice your skills in the open gym, and then bring your game to the retail version of NBA ELITE 11 available October 5.

#farginwar NBA 2K11 will feature 50 achievements, only one of them concerns a feat with a specific player in a standard game. It just so happens to involve the cover athlete for rival NBA Elite 11. More »

#clips This video offers quite the list of details for the NBA Elite 11 demo - except a release date. But when it does arrive, it'll offer plenty to play around with in advance of the full game's Oct. 5 drop. More »

#clips This year NBA Elite 11 introduces a singleplayer "Become Legendary" career mode. The crux of your advancement seems to be outperforming the best player on opposing teams, according to this video examining the mode's matchups. More »