Canceled Game NBA Live 20 Gets ESRB Rating, But There May Be More To The Story

In October 2020, EA Sports announced that it would not release NBA Live 20 and instead focus on making a new basketball game for next-generation consoles.

Despite that announcement, it seems EA may still have something in store for NBA Live 20. The ESRB recently rated NBA Live 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but not next-gen consoles.

It's curious that NBA Live 20, which was thought to be canceled, would receive a rating from the ESRB if EA did not plan to release it in some form. We have reached out to EA in an attempt to get more details on the situation. It is also possible this is some kind of clerical error on the ESRB's behalf. Keep checking back for more.

The series has had a tumultuous history: Back in 2012, NBA Live 13 was cancelled just six days before it was due to be released. NBA Live 20 never actually surfaced, though--gameplay footage was never shown, so it's unclear how far along development the title was.

As it stands, 2018's NBA Live 2019 is the most recent entry in the series--and it was pretty good. The franchise competes with 2K's own NBA 2K series, which is the top-seller in the licensed simulation-based NBA series.