So a new trailer just dropped for NBA 2K20, and it’s one of the more revealing and disgusting bits of self-promotion from a gaming company I’ve seen in a while. Anyone who reads here regularly will know my disdain for these sorts of things, but this is just the worst. It seems like the basketball is getting in the way of the casino in this game mode.
It shouldn’t really be surprising, given how the executives behind this push feel, declaring that loot boxes are not gambling, but boy this is just shocking. MyTeam has been around in the franchise since NBA 2K13, and it has slowly gotten more egregious in its monetization policies over time.
2K Sports put out a video that literally depicts pachinko and slot machines. NBA 2K streamers CashNasty and Kris “LSK” London excitedly open packs of virtual cards, pull slot machine levers and spinning prize wheels to win virtual cards. These same cards can of course be purchased in randomized booster packs, then deployed into the online modes of the MyTeam games.
The ‘surprise mechanics‘ excuse has just been revealed as garbage that it was with this blatant promotion for microtransactions and slot machines. Check it out in the trailer below. The company also released a lengthy Facebook post on the game mode and how it’s changing this year, check that out if you’re interested.
This trend of 2K and Take Two being more and more blatant with their intent couldn’t come at a worse time. As more and more gamers are angered about the egregious gambling mechanics in their games, the companies behind them are seemingly more shameless than ever. With the new Neighborhood mode being a persistent online mode that feels more like a mobile social game than a basketball title, this MyTeam trailer just feels insulting.
So 2K fans, how do you feel about paying full price for a glorified NBA-themed casino? How do you feel about a basketball game being less and less about the sport, and more about trying to be a cash-grab mobile game?
NBA 2K20 will launch for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 6th.
