EA Officially Announces NBA Jam

With little more than a logo and some sort of assurance that the final product will mix the old and the new, Electronic Arts has officially announced EA Sports NBA Jam, a revival of the classic arcade basketball franchise started by Midway and later dragged through the mud by Acclaim. Midway then went on to further develop its arcade basketball chops with NBA Hangtime and NBA Showtime before eventually ditching these Jam-based games in favor of the NBA Ballers series.

The released information has very little to say about what the new NBA Jam will be, though it's very careful to point out that it's going to stay "true to the original" and that it "mixes the old school with the new." Here's what Peter Moore has to say about all this:

“NBA JAM is one of the most recognizable franchises in videogame history,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “Diehard fans of the original game have been asking for a remake for more than a decade. We’re very excited to give them their wish this year with the return of this iconic franchise.”

On the game's official site, there's little more than a logo and a pair of guys selecting three-man teams that they'd like to use in the new game. While there's nothing firm out there on the topic, it seems safe to assume that the new NBA Jam will be a three-on-three game. There's also no confirmation on Mark Turmell's involvement. Turmell, who recently joined EA's Tiburon studio, is one of the men behind the original NBA Jam. The game, however, is being developed in Vancouver at EA Canada.

EA Sports NBA Jam is currently in development for the Wii and scheduled to be released in 2010.