Report: EA retiring NBA Live name, replacing it with 'NBA Elite' [update]

by David Hinkle on May 27th 2010 5:30PM

According to the latest issue of OXM (via 1UP), EA is retiring the NBA Live name. Instead, the company will now be branding its franchise NBA Elite, starting with NBA Elite 11. We've checked the game's Twitter, blog and news feed to no avail. We did manage to get into touch with an EA Sports spokesperson, who offered this statement:

"We knew it was time to leave the past behind. We have exciting and significant changes coming to our NBA game this year that will usher in the future of basketball videogames. We look forward to releasing information on exactly how we'll be doing that over the next few months."

It's hardly confirmation of the name change, but suggests there's something to this whole NBA Elite business. Anybody have a copy of OXM to confirm this? We'd mightily appreciate it!

Update: A tipster sent in an image of the OXM article in question. It looks like the news is legit: look forward to EA Sports NBA Elite 11 this fall.

Source: 1UP
More coverage: NBA Live site, NBA Live on Twitter, NBA Live "In the Paint" blog
Source

Tags: branding, ea, ea-sports, Electronic-Arts, Microsoft, nba-elite, nba-elite-11, nba-live, nba-live-10, nba-live-11, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (45)

That's..........awkward.....

Well when the high point of your franchise was Live '95, it might be time to move onto something else name wise.

You know though... this kind of reminds me of the recent Samsung "LED" TV marketing push. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! It's just a really really thin and expensive LCD!

Posted this earlier today on your NBA 2K post... which means that I am better than your entire site, because I posted unproven news in a comment on a website.

Sports game blog guru Pasta Padre has some more info about the game too
http://www.pastapadre.com/2010/05/26/nba-live-being-renamed-nba-elite as well as some info about it being physics based... which would be a god send.

Wrong link zelderman.....think you meant this one: http://www.youarenotspecialatall.org/youreallyshouldjustgetyourassoffyourshoulders.php

I was only kidding :( :( :( :(

Should at least be NBA Elite 2011. NBA Elite 11 just makes it sound like they're starting a franchise at #11. Now it's going to be confusing like Final Fantasy and Zombi.

Sounds more like a game showcasing the '11 most elite players/teams in the NBA' to me.

Wait. So, "Pac 10" has nothing to do with Pac-Man in 2010?

Hopefully EA has changed into some nice clean undies after having wiped their ass and flushed the monster crap that was NBA Live down the toilet.

At least they're not calling it NBA Epic.

I've been playing NBA Live off and on since 98. I had 98, 2000 and 2006 I believe. So this past year I was in the market for a new one but heard so many people boasting about how much better 2k was/is. So I bought 2K10.

Honestly, I don't see the big deal. The games plays almost identically to Live. I think the menu interface in 2k10 is pretty bad honestly but ultimately am happy with the game because I got it for $20 less than what I could have gotten Live for.

I am not trying to champion Live or slam 2k but can somebody shed some insight on why 2k is so much better than Live?

"The games plays almost identically to Live"

lol wtf? no it doesn't. go watch videos by the czar where he, in detail, explains all of the intricacies between both titles....http://www.operationsports.com/videoview.php?id=624

That looks like a gang sign

Have you watched the NBA lately?

(laawwlz)

"laawwlz"

Are you like 12?

There are no ACTIVE gang members in the NBA....

Try to tell Arenas that...

They can change the name to no one really cares & it will still suck. NBA2K has been whopping thier ass for the past ten years , so they think changing thier name will help. how sad . here a better idea stop making that shit you call a game cause for the last few years you folks have been doing a dynasty warrior crap of repackaging the same game over & over.scrap they whole thing & start from the beginning. then maybe the joy of making a game like no other will return to you .

Just stop.

Deron Williams is very awkward looking in that screen. Yuck.

His tattoo just looks like he has one really hairy arm.

lol, it looks like they morphed Boozer and Williams into one player.

I think this goes hand in hand with their new EA Sports Online Pass.

When every developer starts putting in content and modes in their boxes you can't access for free unless you buy it new otherwise you have to download a 10 dollar unlock code all gamers are like, "GREAT JOB! He's so wonderful! Take that gamestop!" and when EA does it we have you forum trolls ooze through the cracks of the wood floor taking up arms under the guise of fighting for gamer's rights.

I'm just saying, the name change is probably not only influenced on "exciting and significant changes coming to our NBA game", but also on their decision to implement the Online Pass. The name change is to help support their decision.

elite on the Web:
a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

It's like saying, "If you want to play our and enjoy it's finer points become part of the elite!" Besides I don't play sports games and I don't Gamestop, I Goozex.

@Anticrawl

Adding secondary content (skins, maps, side quests, etc.) via download and taking away half of the game (no multi-player or roster updates) are two different things. I have no problems with companies legitimately adding value to new game purchases. With online pass they are just taking value away from the product.

Umm... why?

Probably because Live was introduced at the dawn of modern online gaming. Now it's nothing really new, and online supports is pretty standard. Time for a reboot.

I was playing NBA Live '95 and '96 on the SNES. It was not "introduced" at the "dawn of modern online gaming". It has absolutely nothing to do with XBox Live.

Maybe they've come up with a completely new control scheme, a la NHL 07 which saw EA's offering blow past the 2K series. Even people who don't like hockey like what the EA NHL series has become.

I don't know who that guy is in the pic but is arm looks like he was bit by a brown recluse spider lol

NBA Elite? Really?

Yea....just like the Xbox Elite I have it will make the owner feel more ELITE than any other NBA video game owner

And when you're playing, you can wear this:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/12/covenant-costume-490.jpg

Elite is a really over used and obnoxious word...

Super Mega NBA Elite Extreme

That's better.

NBA Boner Jams 11

"look forward to EA Sports NBA Elite 11 this fall."

I think that was the problem. Nobody has been looking forward to EA's NBA game, for the better part of the last decade!

How often do name changes help a product? Unless it's from a really bad name to a really good one -- like from Uranus to Urectum -- I imagine this to be unnecessary.

well it beats NBA Aristocrats 2011

Sounds like a good change

I think they should call it Van Gundy 11.

the only way they can rebrand nba live is if they rebuild it from the ground up. when i think significant changes the first thing that comes to mind is something like using euphoria. that would totally change the game vs 2k.

Not really happy about this and I've been playing since it was Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs.

Did anyone else notice how the entire crowd - even the players on the bench - were looking in the OPPOSITE direction of the ball in that pic?

haha good eye, sir.

Report: EA retiring NBA Live name, replacing it with 'NBA Elite' [update]

Reader Comments (45)

Posted: May 27th 2010 5:33PM Ahmedz said

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Posted: May 27th 2010 6:56PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

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Posted: May 27th 2010 5:45PM MGTrey said

Posted: May 27th 2010 5:50PM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said

Posted: May 28th 2010 12:51AM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 27th 2010 6:00PM Marco le Polo said

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Posted: May 28th 2010 4:24AM EKAJ13 said

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