Cognition Dissemination: 2K Sports Keeps Getting Away with It
It was apparent shortly after its release that NBA 2K20 would be another dud from 2K Sports in terms of its initial reception. Developer Visual Concepts added new features over its predecessors, but that wasn’t enough to offset the negative reactions toward the egregious number of microtransactions. They exist as options to purchase upgrades and clothing in the game’s Neighborhood mode, an MMORPG-like mode that takes place within a sizable hub. If that wasn’t bad enough, the game was also stuffed full of bugs when it launched. Both problems were enough for players to loudly complain about it on Twitter, where #FixNBA2K20 trended mere days after it hit the market. The glitches were fixed after several quick patches, but they’re not doing anything about the microtransactions.
Given how previous games have sold (with NBA 2K19 in particular selling over nine million copies), 2K made a cynical bet and figured the game would sell regardless. This is, after all, the only big basketball game around, since EA has struggled to get the NBA Live series together in the last few years. If anyone wants a new AAA basketball game, what else are they going to play? That’s at least close to the question 2K execs asked themselves when making the decision to release the game in a state vocal fans wouldn’t like. Sadly, they bet right.
When September’s NPD video game sales and revenue charts were released, guess what debuted as the best-selling game of the month? Of course, NBA 2K20. Worse, not only did it debut at #1, it instantly became the best-selling game of the year after only a month. It topped the likes of Mortal Kombat 11 and Kingdom Hearts III within considerably less time, games that released in April and January, respectively. (It’s also no small feat that Borderlands 3, also released in September, instantly became the third best-selling game of the year. It’s also published by 2K Games.) Don’t worry, this gets even worse. NPD analyst Mat Piscatella explained that NBA 2K20 were “the highest for any sports game in history,” dethroning… NBA 2K19. Dynamite stuff all around.
For anyone who wanted the NBA 2K series to see a noticeable sales setback after NBA 2K19’s “nightmarish” microtransactions, this sales result is the real nightmare. 2K confirmed 2K19’s microtransactions were very popular, implying that the criticism was among a fringe-but-vocal set within online communities and the gaming press. It’s no surprise that they stuffed the newest game with even more, just to see how much they can get away with before they piss off too large an audience. Whether this backlash will hurt next year’s game, likely NBA 2K21, remains to be seen. I advise betting against that happening.
NBA 2K20 was bad enough, but 2K Sports released a real broken mess of a title last month: WWE 2K20. There was initially hope that 2K would get this installment right, after they cut ties with previous WWE 2K developer Yuke’s. Yuke’s’ last batch of games were underwhelming in terms of their graphics and gameplay features, though exactly which company was at fault for their quality is unclear. (It’s easy to make a guess now.) The newfound faith was clearly misplaced when the first previews arrived, which showed how its character models bore even less resemblance to the actual wrestlers and commentators compared to previous games. It was already evident that the decade-old TNA Impact! title was still the game to top. As it turns out, the character models were far from the worst problems.
This was not a game that should have released in October. WWE 2K20 is perhaps one of the glitchiest games to ever release, as shown through several videos after it arrived. Wrestlers can sometimes get stuck in parts of the ring, the referees can just not bother counting down when one wrestler pins the other, some modes flat-out don’t work, among several more delectable “features.” It’s the equivalent of a limo explosion, but there was always a chance of it selling regardless due to the WWE name and the actually-good ads. You know where this is going.
WWE 2K20’s sales weren’t on par with NBA 2K20’s, but debuting at #7 on the October 2019 NPD charts is too damn high for a game in this state. There’s an audience that didn’t bother to do research on how the game turned out, and purchased it thanks to the reliable brand name. In these cases, the next game’s sales usually suffer as a result. Again, I advise against betting on that. Given how WWE is these days, though, this is extremely on-brand.
It would be a surprise if 2K doesn’t think they’re infallible here, considering how they can release games in glitchy states and still have them sell. This shows how difficult it is to get consumers to pay attention to what they’re buying, and the only way to combat this will be through competition. Maybe EA — who, I know, has their own problems — can get it together and bring NBA Live back next year. All Elite Wrestling is giving WWE some much-needed competition in the well-funded wrestling circle, and they’re exploring the option of providing a video game. Maybe this could be the wrestling title Yuke’s is working on.
There’s also a good chance that 2K Sports will just keep getting away with it regardless of what happens. Sometimes, that’s just how things are.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
