EA Sports
It wasn’t that long ago since NBA Live was considered a true challenger to the digital NBA crown. Since then the NBA 2K series has taken off and the Live series has seen its share of bumps in the road.
NBA Live 18 was a good step in the right direction and Live 19 will look to continue on that foundation. While it wasn’t viewed as a serious threat to most diehard 2K fans, Live 19 will look to sway some of the audience over to their game with this iteration.
Here’s what you need to know about NBA Live 19, including the release date and cover star.
Joel Embiid is on This Year’s Cover
Joel Embiid says MVP is his goal next season, @TMZ_Sports t.co/7COQzurhyV
One of the prime examples of #TrustTheProcess, Philadelphia 76ers center is the cover athlete for NBA Live 19.
Embiid was the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and has since become one of the faces of the Sixers.
“It’s great, it’s amazing. I’m thankful for this opportunity, especially as a basketball player,” Embiid said. “You work so hard because you have goals in life, you want to be in the Hall of Fame but also, being on the cover of a video game is something I’ve always dreamed of and I’m happy to be in this position.”
If Embiid truly wants to be MVP next, and who doesn’t really, then he has his work cut out for him as James Harden, last year’s cover star, took him the MVP award the season he was on the cover.
NBA Live 19 Release Date
NBA Live 19 has a release date of September 7 for Xbox One and PS4. For those who aren’t completely sold on the game will have the option of downloading a demo beginning August 24.
For those still waiting for a Nintendo Switch version of the game, it sounds like they will still have to wait as both NBA Live and Madden will be skipping the console this time around. FIFA is the only EA Sports game to appear on the Switch for the second year in a row.
Players are also able to download the tie-in game NBA Live Mobile which is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Changes to The One
One of the important features in NBA Live 19 is the story-based The One mode. More and more sports game are adopting a narrative and it has proven to be a hit with fans.
Madden has the Longshot story mode which was widely considered one of the strong points of the game and NBA 2K has had a storyline for several years now.
With NBA Live’s The One, progression will carry over from NBA Live 18 but you won’t have to worry if you haven’t played the previous version.
“The ONE was our new way to play and really push the idea of seeing yourself in the game via your created character, while giving you the freedom to really explore how you want to progress your player, whether it was on the streets or in the league, playing online or offline, Co-op Live Events or multiplayer Live Run,” said NBA Live Creative Director Ryan Santos about The One. “I’m really happy with the way The ONE turned out and the response that we got from the community as well as some of our critics.”
Players have complete control over customization including abilities, looks and just overall playstyle. It’s a good mode to check out if you’re looking for an RPG-like in your sports games.