NBA Live 13 hitting XBLA, PSN for $20?

If a new report proves accurate, EA Sports' NBA Live 13 will arrive this October through Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network as a $20 download. The report comes from an interview IRBGamer held with an EA Sports representative this week at the GameStop managers' conference in San Antonio, Texas.

The EA Sports employee reportedly acknowledged that it is "a bit risky" to not run the game as a boxed product, but that hasn't kept the publisher from pursuing a digital release.

An EA Sports representative told GameSpot, "We don't have a comment on the rumor or speculation. However, the NBA LIVE development team continues to work hard on the game and we will be sharing more details soon."

A digital-only release of NBA Live 13 does not come as a total surprise. EA posted biggest-ever digital revenue of $1.2 billion during its latest financial period, with CEO John Riccitiello saying it will "break away from the pack" in the year ahead with new digital capabilities that he claims competitors cannot match.

EA Sports' NBA Live franchise has been dormant since NBA Live 10. A 2011 version was planned as the first to be released under the NBA Elite brand, but that game, and the Elite name, were scuttled.