Once again, EA Sports has decided not to release NBA Live. The game was supposed to be EA Sports' first basketball sim since 2009, but it appears the game is still not up to EA's standards.

"When we started the process of bringing back NBA Live, we knew it was going to be a long journey. We started by moving the game to a new studio. We brought in some of the best new technology that has helped fuel innovation in our other games. We launched an even deeper level of engagement with our community to gather more feedback directly from fans. And we built a whole new development team to bring it all to life. We felt like we were on the right path," EA Sports EVP Andrew Wilson explained.

"But making great games is not easy, and we're just not there yet on NBA Live 13. Having continued to look at the game over the past few days, it's clear that we won't be ready in October," Wilson said on EA's official blog. Because the game wouldn't be ready by the time the season begins on October 30, the publisher has decided to "sit out the full year and stay focused on making next year's game great. This decision puts us on the right track for success well into the future in a rapidly changing industry."

The last basketball sim released by Electronic Arts was NBA Live 10. Poor reception to EA Canada's NBA Elite 11 forced the publisher to cancel the game and continue the years-long process of making a rebooted basketball sim.