Foul Play
TheNBA 2Kcommunity has hit back at publisher 2K Games after unskippable adverts materialised within the latest entry in the basketball sim,NBA 2K21. The adverts were not in the sports title at launch, and have popped up one month after release, to the chagrin of many paying customers.
As reported by Stevivor, fans spotted video adverts for Oculus Quest 2 hardware that auto-play during certainNBA 2K21loading sequences, as a part of “2K TV” cinematic presentations. The adverts always complete before the segment finishes loading, regardless of platform or PC capabilities. You can see the offending segments in action in Stevivor’s video below.
NBA 2Kfanshave taken to Redditto blast the commercials, fuming at the concept of being forced to sit through ads in a $60-70 video game. This isn’t even 2K’s first rodeo, as previous entryNBA 2K20, a controversial title that would go on to become a poster child for overly aggressive monetization and gambling mechanics in gaming.
This situation also recallsa similar event that took place last month, when Electronic Arts’UFC 4suddenly implemented advertising in-game, again one month after release. Following backlash from fans, EA relented and the adverts were then removed from the game.
NBA 2K21 inserts unskippable ads into pre-game loading screens[Stevivor /Eurogamer]
