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Sports gaming is a lucrative business, especially with the rising popularity of sports betting platforms like SBOBET. Even with an unending list of online games, though, the world of massive, mainstream sports games, like the NBA 2K series, is still small.
The gaming series is a staple among console and PC players, and it evolves with each generation.
Recently, NBA 2K has changed for the worse.
You know that a game is controversial when its widespread fanbase has taken to online forums, encouraging—and even demanding—a boycott of the creator’s products.
It is the state of affairs that the game publisher, 2K Sports, is facing after a single, argumentative comment roused the masses. It received 10,000 upvotes and made the rounds on Reddit just days after the game’s big announcement.
This attention was on top of the millions of views on YouTube featuring vloggers and game reviewers, encouraging 2K Sports’ patrons not to buy the game.
A Loud Resistance
The boycott call arose after gamers across the globe expressed shock and disbelief over the game’s inflated price, including its new microtransaction model.
The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of the game will be available upon release at a staggering cost to consumers. For United States customers, the game requires a payment of roughly $70.00 (plus taxes), compared to the previous $60.00-price tag on past games of the same series.
It gets worse.
This price tag covers the most basic parts of the game, and it is only for the standard version. Buying the “Mamba Forever Edition,” a deluxe version, would cost significantly more.
Considering that 2K Games is earning a small fortune in revenue from its microtransaction payment schemes, players have complained that the gaming company is becoming too greedy, taking advantage of its loyal customers for the sake of pure profit.
The Thing about Microtransactions
Ever since the NBA 2K17’s release for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, microtransactions from AAA-gaming companies (also known as the big-name gaming behemoths) have risen in popularity.
With the ever-increasing number of people pulled into e-sports, it’s no wonder that “pay for token” or “pay for DLC” models are becoming the standard for every new game development.
Most of these integrations are well-made and welcome additions to the series, but not the NBA 2K21. As the enraged gaming community puts it, the game does not deserve its base price because:
- It’s too expensive. Even for inflation-adjustment, most games of the same caliber as NBA 2K21 sell for no more than $60.00, the average release-date price;
- Other games are more value for money. Many rival games sell for less, and provide a fuller gaming experience with no need for additional “content purchases;”
- The NBA 2K21 is unimpressive. It shows no real improvement over its predecessors, and;
It’s an insult to its fanbase. The game’s principle is flawed if it expects consumers to buy such an expensive game and remain crippled with incomplete content locked behind microtransactions.
Conclusion
Sports betting platforms like SBOBET are doing well with microtransaction models, which is natural because of the platform’s mechanics. However, other players are now demanding that content-driven games, like the new NBA 2K21, should take off its MTX options and lower its prices. Otherwise, it might lose more than its loyal clientele.
