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Kyrie Irving Could Be NBA Live 14 Cover Athlete Based on Placeholder Box Art
Last year EA Sports attempted to market NBA Live 13 as “The Future of Basketball” and with it they tied up a number of rising-stars in the league to be a part of their marketing campaign. One of them was Kyrie Irving and as that relationship continues he became one of the favorites to snag the cover of NBA Live 14. Placeholder box art for the next-gen consoles could hint at him being the cover athlete. Click here for the full size image.
Along with new box art graphics for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Madden NFL 25 and FIFA 14 is that of NBA Live 14. The image appears to feature Irving and though it is meant to disguise that it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of effort to do so. FIFA’s does have Lionel Messi, who is the cover representative, while Madden’s features last year’s Calvin Johnson. There has been no information on who will be on the cover of next-gen Madden.
Obviously this is far from being confirmation but Irving made a lot of sense going in to be the cover athlete. On a side note these covers are slick and EA should consider keeping the style around.
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Press Row Podcast: Xbox One Reveal
In this episode of the Press Row Podcast the panel discusses everything that came out of the Xbox One event and the news that followed. That includes the console’s capabilities, the practices in regards to used games and online connection being required, and the EA Sports Ignite engine that will be implemented in Xbox One and PS4 franchises.
Check it out through iTunes and now on Android with the Stitcher app or through the embedded player at Operation Sports. As always leave any feedback on the show or topics to discuss for future ones in the comments!
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More on Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise
Though somewhat overshadowed by all the next-gen news the week started off with details on Connected Franchise for Madden NFL 25 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Improvements to the mode that debuted last year will be accompanied by the return of several features including Owner mode, transaction logs, importing of draft classes, and 32 team offline control.
Now EA Sports has followed up with a blog post laying out the new features of Connected Franchise. In addition to those already mentioned it confirms that Fantasy Drafts can be completed for offline franchises (it was only for the “online” ones after a patch last year) and that player positions can be changed. Adam Schefter will be offering draft story lines in addition to Trey Wingo (his involvement was discovered a few weeks ago). While there still hasn’t been mention of much in the way of presentation at least now it’s known the commentary will include references to things like current standings and stats – something that was desperately needed after the complete disconnect with ongoing events when playing games last year.
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NCAA Football 10 Included Tim Tebow’s Name; Could Impact Player Likeness Lawsuit
Though EA may still be attempting to argue that players in NCAA video games don’t exactly represent the likenesses of the real athletes (they even filed a study that only about 15% of in-game characters match height, weight, home state, and position) ultimately that will be a tough sell to a jury in the monumental lawsuit ahead. Instead what they have been producing being protected as artistic works appeared to be the far stronger point to be made but the hits keep on coming for the NCAA, CLC, and EA who appear to be in big trouble. Read more
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One Player Likeness Lawsuit From Years Ago Resurfaces After Appeals Process
Back in 2011 – when there were several individual former athletes challenging the NCAA, CLC, and EA as opposed to the consolidated and potentially monumental class action one the trio faces now – Ryan Hart had his own attempt at litigation shot down. The case had been filed in 2009 with Hart claiming his appearance in the NCAA Football series when he was a QB at Rutgers from 2004-2005 should have resulted in compensation. Read more
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EA Sports Tempting Fate by Revisiting Huge Mistake of 2005
One of the biggest surprises out of the Xbox One reveal event yesterday was EA Sports taking the stage to show off a pre-rendered trailer rather than actual in-game footage for their upcoming sports games. Given that such a tactic laid the foundation for being underwhelmed this entire last generation few would have predicted they’d go back to that well again. Read more
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Additional Videos Showcase the Just Announced EA Sports Ignite Next-Gen Engine
Earlier today the announcement of the “EA Sports Ignite” engine was accompanied by a trailer featuring pre-rendered footage reminiscent of the infamous one years back for Madden that laid the table for disappointment throughout the entirety of the Xbox 360/PS3 generation. Now the company has added a series of additional videos spotlighting the three central areas of focus: Human Intelligence, True Player Motion, and Living Worlds. Read more
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EA Sports Ignite Engine Trailer and Details
The trailer showing off the upcoming Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, and UFC releases for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has made it online after debuting at the Microsoft event earlier today alongside other news. The video highlights the new “EA Sports Ignite” engine which is said to deliver true player motion, advanced AI, and living worlds taking advantage of the advanced specs of the systems. Read more
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