Bishop Tart: Here's the quote from IRB Gamer: "It’s been almost 3 years since we’ve released an NBA title. The tactic is to get feedback from gamers. However, it’s a bit risky to not run it as the AAA title as thedecision has been made to NOT put the game on disc.

Live will be looking at a price point around $19.99."

EA and Tiburon are testing every single one of us this year. They're trying to see if there is any interest at all left in the series. If it does release as a downloadable game for $20 and only a few people purchase it, we can say goodbye to NBA Live.

I've read some of the comments on Operation Sports, and I think EA releasing NBA Live 13 for $19.99 is a GREAT idea. We all know the debacle that was NBA Elite, so EA trying to release a basketball game this year at a full $60 price-point is just absurd. Releasing it as a downloadable game at a cheap price means a low entry level and EA wants to get people to believe in the franchise again. This is the perfect way to do that. Now that would mean the game has to deliver. With NBA 2K pretty much owning the video game basketball world, EA and Tiburon know they can't have a half-assed game come out

People are also thinking EA will hold onto modes and features to release as DLC. That's possible, but NBA Live 13 will have Dynasty and online modes. It's an EA title, so of course, DLC will probably happen. But people panicking that DLC will be modes or features from previous iterations are being a bit paranoid.

I understand people are invested into the NBA 2K series, but there are a lot of basketball fans here on Operation Sports. Is spending $20 on NBA Live 13 going to really break the bank for fans of the sport?

While yes, that's not the only question most of us are asking, but until we get more solid information that's what I'm asking myself. I'm not making a decision based off a video from a pre-alpha build.

It's not that NBA Live 13 shouldn't be released, but who is going to care if the game isn't good?

Keni Glover: In my opinion it's not so much the $20 digital release that seals the fate of NBA Live; it's the resignation implied by this release that potentially dooms the franchise.

After a two year layoff, fans of the series had big expectations for Live 13 and even non-fans were at least curious to see what EA had cooking. It was a bit shocking to see how far the series actually digressed in the latest gameplay reveal, which granted wasn't official or even the latest build, but it was still ugly. The cancelled NBA Elite and NBA Live 10 both look superior in quality to Live 13 and it just doesn't seem that EA put significant resources behind this game.

Did EA resolve from the beginning of this project that NBA Live 13 was going to be a $20 digital release? Or, did they make this determination after they received critical feedback of what they allege to be a pre-alpha build of the game? If before, it might imply an intention to minimize overhead of the project, perhaps due to a lack of confidence that the game would be profitable. If after, it was an enlightened choice in that they realize Live 13 has little chance to be competitive this year, particularly with the bad press it has received to this point. Either way, its a bad omen for NBA Live.

The NBA Live franchise has a long way to go to be competitive in this genre. At this point, the popular NBA 2K franchise has a full head of steam while Live is still trapped in the starting gate. And considering the cancellation of NBA Elite last year and now this, it might only be a matter of time before EA quits on this series altogether.

The problem isn't the price point, it's the reasons behind why Live has to be $19.99.

Steve McPherson:  The price point itself isn't so much troubling as the reasons behind it being put out there at $19.99. There's a big difference between something that was designed around being a downloadable title—with tight focus, a lean, mean approach, and maybe a la carte DLC options—and one that has simply come up short and been shoved out to market at a discount. It's one thing to have two car options where one is a Lexus and one is a Corolla, and quite another when the second option is a Jaguar someone is selling cheap because it doesn't work.

The failure of EA to put together Elite and then to mothball the entire series until now doesn't speak well of this decision, and it would seem that the lateness of the announcement in relation to the release window indicates that this is an audible, not a designed play. In sports gaming, it seems like there's always the champ and the runner-up, and by making this move, EA is definitively placing themselves in the runner-up slot.

Now, do I think that Live might actually offer some interesting gameplay wrinkles? In fact, it could even do some stuff better than NBA2K13? It's theoretically possible, but that's where the price point hurts even more because by coming out at $20, EA is essentially asking us to take this game less seriously. Its successes will always be cast as being "good for a downloadable title" while its failures will be underlined by EA's decision to go discount bin with it right out of the gates.

Bottom line is EA might woo some consumers into giving it a spin, but it's not the way to build the brand back up. After all, what if it's a smashing success at $20 and they decide to bump it back up to a retail title at $60 next year? I can't see people standing for that.

Failure at this juncture could mean an end to the franchise.

Aaron Ondrey: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. NBA Live 13 will be released digitally in October, perhaps as the franchise's last-ditch effort for revival. I remember a time when NBA Live was the head honcho of basketball video gaming, and now, it will be a downloadable, $19.99 game.

From comments that I've seen on the Operation Sports forums, it seems like this may be the only option Live 13 has. Fans aren't happy, and the leaked footage wasn't impressive at all for a game that has been off of shelves for two years. A digital release gives off the impression from EA that they know they can't compete with 2k, and are hoping that dropping the price and creating an easy-access game via download can create some buzz.

I was always a fan of the NBA Live series. But as the franchise started to fall, I jumped ship. Personally, I would like nothing more than to see the series make a comeback and become relevant again. Nothing is better for fans of virtual hoops than to have both NBA Live and NBA 2k competing with each other again.

The question is, can NBA Live 13 even knock on the door to a comeback, or will that door be slammed shut for good?

What do you think OS'ers? Is the NBA Live franchise in trouble? Are you looking to buy the game at it's $20 price point? Sound off!