The speculation is over! Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden has been officially announced as the cover player for NBA Live 18. Originally, the news was inadvertently leaked in a since-deleted video by YouTuber iMav3riq, but we now have official confirmation. Harden was previously one of four different cover players for NBA 2K16, along with Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, and Michael Jordan (Special Edition only). Check out the cover art below!

Notably, Harden was among the players who appeared in the first reveal screenshots, as well as the early gameplay trailers for NBA Live 18. While this obviously seems like a strong hint in retrospect, it’s also worth noting that a couple of screenshots of DeMar DeRozan were also released at the same time, despite him being signed to appear on the Canadian cover of NBA 2K18.

EA Sports has released a trailer to coincide with the official announcement. As you would expect, it focuses on James Harden himself, playing in both The League and The Streets. Check it out below, or catch it here on YouTube if you can’t see the embedded video.

The NBA Live 18 demo is also out today. Depending on your timezone – or indeed, the timezone of the account you’re currently using – it’s already available to download. The game’s release date has been confirmed for September 15th, which sees it going head to head with NBA 2K18’s Early Tip-Off Weekend. EA Sports are also offering a 33% discount for pre-orders. No further word on the Deluxe edition as yet.

We’ll have demo impressions and further thoughts to share in this week’s NLSC Podcast, but in the meantime, what’s your take on the choice of James Harden for NBA Live 18’s cover? Are you trying out the demo? Have your say in the comments section below, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum. You can also share your impressions of the demo in this topic.

NBA Live 18 Cover Art

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