Mike Wang Has Left EA Canada and the NBA Live Development Team

[BrianFifaFan]

NBA Live 11 has just taken an incredible blow.

Quote:

"Mike Wang has left EA Canada and the NBA LIVE development team and will be heading back to the United States. I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank Mike for his contributions during the 18 months that he was working on NBA LIVE. His vision and leadership within gameplay on NBA LIVE 10 was part of the reason why that game was critically reviewed as having taken a tremendous leap in quality and at least as good as any other basketball game on the market. Our goals for NBA LIVE 11 are simple. We want to be one of the best sports games on the market … on par with franchises like NHL, FIFA and Madden. In the coming months, we will show you just how we will do that. I wish Mike and his family the best of luck. Sean O’Brien"

[GSW]

welp...looks like i wont be playing any basketball games next year either

[BooShay]

WOW this is big news. Did his Visa expire? I dont see why he would just leave EA Vancouver like that

[BrianFifaFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by BooShay

WOW this is big news. Did his Visa expire? I dont see why he would just leave EA Vancouver like that

Yeah, I don't get that, either. Have you ever seen EA Canada? Or Vancouver, for that matter? Who would leave voluntarily? Man, first Marcus is sent off and now Mike Wang leaves? And NCAA is not gonna be patched? EA's basketball program has me scratching my head. And then the Lead says they are trying to be in the class of Fifa or NHL? Color me cornfused....

[Court_vision]

Someone gave me a small indication about this a few months back when it was clear that the LIVE 10 sales weren't all that good. (worse than LIVE 09 actually).

Marcus was moved and I heard the game was going to go in a whole new direction. I didn't want to post anything as I've had a tonne of respect for Beluba right back to NBA Inside Drive.

He's always been a great communicator...so, when he says nothing for months + I know he wasn't involved with patch 2 at all...then you start to read between the lines.

Now that's official........very, very dissapointing.

EA will post a tonne of rhetoric about "we want to make the best game possible"........and that's absolute crap.

EA want sales. Nothing else.

Marcus being moved on and Beluba "let go" = the end of the line for NBA Live.

This series is officially dead unless you like arcade stuff. Letting Beluba go basically is conceeding the sim market to 2K.

Sad day.

Good luck to Mike in whatever he does from here on.

[Court_vision]

NBA Live Loses Mike Wang
by pastapadre
Posted February 1st, 2010 at 3:21 pm 3 Comments

Some news today that could have huge effect on the future of the NBA Live series as provided by community manager Yaw Obiri-Yeboah. Lead Gameplay Designer Mike Wang has left the development team after just one year heading up the franchise. This is a discouraging development given the stature he was presented as having by EA Sports and the drastic improvements seen from NBA Live as of late.
Given the sales discrepancy between NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10 it its shaping up to be a critical year. While NBA Live 10 gained traction in terms of reviews and consumer response it actually fell further behind the competition in sales. With a concentration on profitability and cutting of titles that don’t make the grade the sales performance of NBA Live 11 could very well determine whether the series continues on or gets cut.

[Stumbleweed]

Well, crap. Hopefully one of the companies can throw together a good game next year... not looking great though, especially with this development. Ugh, I want my b-ball games back!

[BrianFifaFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Court_vision

Someone gave me a small indication about this a few months back when it was clear that the LIVE 10 sales weren't all that good. (worse than LIVE 09 actually). Marcus was moved and I heard the game was going to go in a whole new direction. I didn't want to post anything as I've had a tonne of respect for Beluba right back to NBA Inside Drive. He's always been a great communicator...so, when he says nothing for months + I know he wasn't involved with patch 2 at all...then you start to read between the lines. Now that's official........very, very dissapointing. EA will post a tonne of rhetoric about "we want to make the best game possible"........and that's absolute crap. EA want sales. Nothing else. Marcus being moved on and Beluba "let go" = the end of the line for NBA Live. This series is officially dead unless you like arcade stuff. Letting Beluba go basically is conceeding the sim market to 2K. Sad day. Good luck to Mike in whatever he does from here on.

Yeah, if they don't go for a Fifa level of depth and simulation, I'm done with this game as quick as I got on board. Mike was trying to do that. It wasn't either Marcus' or his fault the game has stunk for so long. Just like Ian with Madden , this isn't gonna happen in one cycle. If they change directions again, it's gonna destroy any credibility this series gained this year. And guys like me, who for years thought NBA Live was king, only to leave it for 2k, that finally gave Live a second look, are gonna head right on back out the door. I'm really concerned today....