Home Gaming NBA 2K21 sneaks unskippable adverts into its full-priced game frame

NBA 2K21 sneaks unskippable adverts into its full-priced game frame

2 min read
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NBA 2K21

NBA games as of late have always been pitch-perfect recreations of basketball, sporting brilliant graphics and adrenaline-pumping gameplay in the one court that you don’t mind visiting. The latest iteration in the NBA 2K series also has another touch of authenticity this year: Adverts that you can’t skip. According to a Stevivor report, NBA 2K21 has inserted adverts for the Oculus Quest 2 on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game that can’t be skipped between matches.

To add further insult to injury, PC players who upgraded their rigs with SSD drives can’t even take advantage of the blistering speed of that storage medium as the advert has to be watched in its entirety before a new game can begin. Here’s a video from Stevivor showing off the marketing on a game that costs over a grand’s worth of Randelas or the usual $60 in the US of A. To begin with.

Well that’s not going to go over well. In addition to being a full-priced game, NBA 2K21 also has a deep selection of microtransactions and other monetisation options designed to get as much extra coin out of a player as possible. It’s also going to be interesting to see if the game includes these adverts on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version, consoles whose primary claim to fame is also SSD tech that is designed to lessen load times by a substantial margin.

And I get the frustration, I totally do. When you’re paying $70 for a next-gen game that’s supposed to give you the definitive basketball experience without any of the annoyances and you’re still forced to watch an advert, tempes will naturally rise. NBA 2K20 also had in-game adverts, and fans complained massively about that too. The only problem here, is that there are no other basketball alternatives as 2K plays a game of one-on-none in an empty courtyard within the genre.

EA also received its fair share of hate mail for attempting to monetise the latest UFC game with adverts, but at least it listened to its fanbase and removed those intrusive adverts from the game. And that’s just crayz. But not as crazy as these prices for pre-loved cars at Barry Lipshitz’s Emporium of Automobiles! These prices are so low, I must be going mad!

Last Updated: October 20, 2020

30 Comments

  1. 2K…yeah, better finish watching those adverts because they will ‘retire’ the server soon after the next version releases without a way to transfer your save games as they are GONE! Don’t think I will buy another NBA2K again as the career mode is for some weird reason integrated with online! Man, I want to play ALONE, don’t need no online integration! Ranting about old long standing 2K behavior I know. Just salty I lost my save game playing Center and was getting close to HoF level 🙁

    *Think the switch-off of the server came while I was dedicated to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey so might have missed announcements or warnings…still salty though haha*

    Reply

  2. cloudzn

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

    Here’s an idea, stop buying annual games. Stop supporting them because this is beyond ridiculous

    Reply

    • Insomnia is fun

      October 20, 2020 at 08:16

      BUt TeH nEw GAem hAz teH nu rUstoR

      Besides, it’s probably Murica that buys this garbage the most.

      Reply

    • For the Emperor!

      October 20, 2020 at 08:56

      2K literally switch of access to the servers for older versions of the game, meaning one loses all your saves. I was buying every 4 years or so exactly because the yearly updates do nothing…ok I have only bought it twice thus far…but same principle. But then you cannot enjoy the full game anymore as I only play career mode and they have integrated that with ONLINE!!! Ok, here I go ranting again about them forcing MP into the most Single of Player modes a sports game can have /rant

      Reply

  3. Insomnia is fun

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

  4. Krabby Paddy

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_timeout

    Most who play are probably used to this, so they will likely get away with it.

    Reply

  5. Pofadder

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

    Why isnt’ there a class action law suit against this already?

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      October 20, 2020 at 09:06

      … why? Just don’t buy the game?

      Nowhere in the game or anywhere does it say you are paying to remove adverts

      Reply

      • Pofadder

        October 20, 2020 at 09:35

        No chance of me ever buying this, but nowhere does it say that they will be adding adds 1 month after launch either.

        Reply

        • Gavin Mannion

          October 20, 2020 at 09:35

          Nowhere does it say they won’t… just saying there is no real basis for a class action lawsuit here. They are not removing anything, they are only adding more.

          Reply

          • Pofadder

            October 20, 2020 at 09:39

            Agreed, but in America you can sue for anything.

  6. Gavin Mannion

    October 20, 2020 at 07:51

    It sometimes feels like 2K are being used by the industry to test how far gamers can be pushed.

    Weirdly with sport games you will probably find they get away with it as a large portion of the audience aren’t gamers in the traditional sense and will just assume this is normal

    Reply

    • Tbone187

      October 20, 2020 at 09:39

      What’s a gamer in the traditional sense supposed to mean?

      Reply

      • MechMachine

        October 20, 2020 at 11:10

        Let me put it another way, A lot of people out there who play this crap don’t play Diablo.

        Reply

        • Tbone187

          October 20, 2020 at 13:25

          So we creating division based on preferences? I don’t like that way 🙂

          Reply

          • MechMachine

            October 20, 2020 at 13:55

            That’s a good game. The Division.

          • Tbone187

            October 20, 2020 at 16:11

            Not for Diablo players tho;)

      • Gavin Mannion

        October 20, 2020 at 10:51

        One who’s main entertainment when it comes to relaxation is gaming, who plays multiple games and reads websites like this for random news.

        I know a lot of people who have consoles just for one game. They get F1 or MBK or FIFA or NBA every year to just play that game and have no interest in anything else on offer.

        Living out the sporting fantasy is huge business

        Reply

        • Tbone187

          October 20, 2020 at 13:11

          I completely disagree tbh Gavin.No hard feelings tho but so many debatable suggestions here.

          Seems too much of a stretch to categorise the majority of these sporting title’s audiences according to this checklist you have imo.

          A gamer in any sense of the word is someone who, imo, spends a decent amount of their time playing a game or games. Simple as.

          It could be considered a bit snobish/inconsiderate actually to suggest otherwise.

          I’m a decent and versatile guitarist for example. I will never suggest anyone else to not be a guitarist if they don’t play various genres or don’t read up continually on the trade or don’t share the same motivations I do for playing. See where I’m coming from here?

          Reply

          • Metal Rabbit

            October 21, 2020 at 01:12

            Are you a guitarist in the traditional sense? Your nitpick bites your own argument in the behind.

          • Tbone187

            October 21, 2020 at 08:15

            There is no such thing as a gamer in the traditional sense guy! That’s my point! Swoosh! Straight over your head there El Diablo?

            I’m trying to be polite to the editor of this site. I could’ve just said his checklist is a load of bollocks and he shouldn’t be so condescending to people who have different tastes in games.

            WTF does living out sporting fantasies actually have to do with playing a sport simulation game? If that’s the case, any game you play is living out a fantasy of whatever that game’s about.

            Don’t let the door hit your ”behind” on the way out.

          • Metal Rabbit

            October 21, 2020 at 10:25

            That’s not… ok y’know what, nevermind.
            You completely misunderstood the inference.

            Not every gamer is a gamer in the traditional sense. Take it or leave it but that fact won’t change because of your feelings/perception.

  7. For the Emperor!

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

    2K…yeah, better finish watching those adverts because they will ‘retire’ the server soon after the next version releases without a way to transfer your save games as they are GONE! Don’t think I will buy another NBA2K again as the career mode is for some weird reason integrated with online! Man, I want to play ALONE, don’t need no online integration! Ranting about old long standing 2K behavior I know. Just salty I lost my save game playing Center and was getting close to HoF level 🙁

    *Think the switch-off of the server came while I was dedicated to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey so might have missed announcements or warnings…still salty though haha*

    Reply

  8. justlikemo

    October 20, 2020 at 08:16

    Bwahahaha,
    reminds of when there was sports prior to lockdown, watched DSTV online, a catch up of the Dakar rally and there was an advert before every episode and not a short one! I mean seriously, not watching the event live, but there was an ad, you paying what’s the price of DSTV nowadays like 1K and you have to watch adverts! Well it was not my profile, but that’s how they get you…

    Reply

    • Insomnia is fun

      October 20, 2020 at 08:56

      I use an ad blocker.

      Reply

  9. Tbone187

    October 20, 2020 at 09:48

    Well it could be viewed as adding to the simulation package as America sports channels are just long ads with a little bit of sport inbetween in any event 😉

    Reply

  10. Quentin Els

    October 20, 2020 at 23:05

    Such a shock I almost had an Arianism, they did what ?!!

    Reply

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