2K has added unskippable advertisements to the loading screens of NBA 2K21, Stevivor has reported after analysing tips provided to them by players.
The publisher has never exactly been subtle when it comes to monetizing their annual sports titles, which are often awash with microtransactions and other means of earning additional pennies from the player after the initial purchase.
However, this new method might be a step too far. A new video shows the Oculus Quest 2 being advertised in-game ahead of a match taking place, and it seems there is currently no way to skip the advertisements. Given you paid full price for the product, being force fed unskippable ads isn’t a very good look:
According to Stevivor, the loading times remain the same on console and when running the game on PC from an SSD where, in theory, loading times should be much faster. This suggests that perhaps the loading times are made to be an arbitrary length of time to accommodate such ad placements.
2K pulled a similar trick in its basketball sim last year, which was also heavily criticised by fans at the time, but it seems the ire of its audience wasn’t enough for a change of tune. Here’s hoping that changes will be coming to the game soon, since it’s only been available for a month and is yet to arrive on PS5 or Xbox Series X.
NBA 2K previously had a slot machine of sorts in the game itself which was used in MyTeam, which allowed you to draw cards of players each with their own distinct rarity. It’s very similar to FIFA Ultimate Team, which has also come under fire for its associations with gambling in the past. Time will tell if things will be changed in a future update for NBA 2K21, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
