First there was NBA Live. Then last year EA announced NBA Elite, which was going to replace the NBA Live franchise, only to initially delay the newly named NBA Sim, and finally to cancel the game all together.
This week EA Sports announced that they would be releasing a new NBA simulation title. The announcement stated that the unnamed game is currently under development and is slated for a fall 2012 release. They also revealed that the game was being developed by their Tiburon Studio in Orlando.
"As planned, our next NBA simulation title is in development at our Tiburon Studio in Orlando," said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. "We have top talent on the game, and we're giving the new development team time to deliver a superior experience. We're making great strides and looking forward to launching a new game next year."
The announcement did include some good news for basketball fans. EA will be releasing NBA JAM: On Fire Edition, a digital download that will be released this fall via Xbox LIVe and the Playstation Network.
"EA SPORTS continues to support this iconic franchise through a new digital download and we’re taking everything fans loved about the original and adding a host of new features," said Trey Smith, Line Producer, NBA JAM: On Fire Edition. "We've listened to all of the feedback from our fans and we are driven to deliver the very best NBA JAM experience to date."
NBA JAM: On Fire Edition will use the same AI system that was used in their
Fight Night franchise, which is supposed to learn from gamers tendencies and use it against them.
New game modes will include JAM Arena, Road Trip, Tag Mode and Team Fire. It will also include online roster updates, more NBA players (past and present), secret teams and unlockable characters.