Report: NBA Live ’13 to Be Out in October, Digital Release Only

The latest season of the NBA is but a month away, but EA has still been very quiet on the basketball videogame front. Yes, we saw a gameplay clip of an "alleged" alpha version of NBA LIVE '13, but other than that, EA hasn't been promoting the game at all.

If this report rings true, then we might just have the reason why. According to IRBGamer, EA showed off NBA Live '13 at the GameStop Expo held in San Antonio, Texas, 

The publisher has confirmed that the title will hit consoles and PCs later this October, bot will not see a retail release! Yep, it will only be out on Xbox LIVE, PSN and on participating e-tailers on PC.

Here's what the EA rep had to say regarding NBA Live '13:

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,” equaling out to 1600 Microsoft Points or $20 PlayStation Network card.

You read that right. NBA Live '13 will be a digital-only release and will cost $19.99. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Before the NBA 2K series took over the virtual hardwood, NBA Live was the basketball game to own if you're a hoops fan. Now, it's been almost three years since an iteration of the game has seen a public release and looks to be an experimental game at that.

If you're a basketball fan, are you willing to gamble on NBA LIVE '13 seeing as it's 1/3 the cost a full retail game or is it just going to be NBA 2K13 for you?