Lebron James is featured as the star athlete on the front cover of NBA 2K14, leaving users wondering if the game's developer prefers the Miami Heat star more than EA Sports and its NBA Live '14.

NBA Live used to be the biggest basketball franchise in the video game world, but the game hasn't been released in quite some time and with 2K Sports creating the predominant force in the sport, NBA Live 14 is pulling out all the stops to provide the best graphics possible, BleacherReport.com reports.

NBA Live 14 has captured the attention of gamers around the world for its new specs and features, but one analyst says it must focus on marketing its in-game footage in order to compete with its rival NBA 2K series.

"I'm a firm believer that competition is good in everything. It pushes all involved to be at their best or to clearly be defined as inferior," BleacherReport.com writes.

"If EA Sports' NBA Live series is going to regain its place as a virtual hardcourt juggernaut, or at least a legitimate threat to the NBA 2K series, the next two-to-three weeks of marketing and exposure are critical."

EA Sports has released an official gameplay trailer, revealing that players within the game can use their individual playing styles on the court.

"The graphics are on the next-gen engines, so of course they look fantastic, even as Iving's facial expression doesn't move in-flight," CBSSports.com writes.

"They've focused a lot on the ball and dribbling physics, going so far as to bring in players to record their specific dribbling styles and having the ball using its own physics engine. The result is an animation process a lot closer to reality that anything before it."

NBA 2K14 will also be available on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One once both next-generation consoles are released.

NBA Live 14's developer also announced that Kyrie Irving will be the athlete featured on the cover of the game and released gameplay snapshots.