EA Sports’ NBA Live 18: The WNBA…it’s in the game

EA Sports
EA Sports

The Minnesota Lynx? Elena Delle Donne? The WNBA in general?

One might say, “IT’S IN THE GAME!”

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That’s because WNBA teams and players will be playable in NBA Live 18, EA Sports announced on Thursday.

NBA Live 18 will be available on XBOX One and Playstation 4, and the WNBA Play Now feature will be the first time a video game has featured the WNBA’s official rosters and teams, according to EA Sports.

NBA Live executive producer Sean O’Brien said in a press release:

"“We are extremely proud to partner with the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) on this groundbreaking occasion. The WNBA is home to some of the most incredible athletes on the planet, and we’ve been working hard to integrate them into our game in an authentic and meaningful way. This is only a taste of what we have in store, and look forward to working with the league on more great integrations in the franchise in the future.”"

In order to prepare for the game, EA Sports said it conducted head scans of the WNBA’s star athletes, including Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Jewell Loyd, and Sylvia Fowles. It also held motion-capture sessions with Kelsey Plum and others.

EA Sports was kind enough to give The Summitt a few images to show the technology behind it all. Here’s a look at the results from Loyd’s head scan:

EA Sports
EA Sports

And what she will look like in the game:

EA Sports
EA Sports

We’ve come a long way from EA’s NCAA March Madness 2000 — a game that I dominated.

WNBPA president and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said in the press release about the importance of using the game to help connect with WNBA fans.

"“On behalf of the players, we believe that combining technology and entertainment is a powerful way to not only recognize and value our brand of basketball but to also increase fan connectivity and engagement.”"

NBA Live 18 is expected to launch this Fall. Please direct all trash talk to our own Blake DuDonis, who is already telling the rest of The Summitt how he will destroy us in this game. He is probably right.