2K Sports has for the last several years reaped the benefits of Electronic Arts having a no-show for NBA Live, and with the cancellation of the much-hyped NBA Live 13, NBA 2K13 has pushed the bar even farther.
According to internal numbers at 2K Sports, NBA 2K13 sold 49% more copies in the first week of sales than its previous top-seller NBA 2K11, with the bulk of new copies going to the hands of international palyers. The online users have also double from last year's NBA 2K12.
Our sports reviewer Devin Charles praised this year's installment for its spot-on presentation, new MyPlayer mode, strong soundtrack featuring Jay-Z, and thorough use of the NBA licensed players. He's not alone—the title's Metacritic score is an 88 for Xbox 360 based on 26 critical reviews and an 85.50% on Gamerankings based on 15 critical reviews.
So the question is whether Electronic Arts even has a chance. It's never wise to count out Electronic Arts when it comes to sports titles, but we first need to see whether they'll even follow through with "NBA Live 14" in the first place. And that will only happen a full year from now. Until then, this is a court that's dominated by 2K Sports, and that's that.
