2K Games apologises for the way unskippable ads were implemented in NBA 2K21, not the ads themselves
Like last year's game, NBA 2K21 also has unskippable ads, but now 2K Games is vowing to fix it.
Update: 2K Games has today issued a statement addressing the negative press NBA 2K21 has been receiving over the past few days as more and more players run into the game's unskippable ads, which play before episodes of the in-game 2KTV episodes.
According to the publisher, the way ads were implemented was the problem, not the ads themselves. Nevertheless, 2K Games vowed to fix the issue with future 2KTV episodes.
"As many are aware, in recent years ads have been integrated into 2KTV segments. Yesterday's 2KTV ad placement impacted our players' experience in a way we didn't intend, as these ads are not meant to run as part of the pre-game introduction. This will be fixed in future episodes. Thanks for your continued feedback," reads an official statement.
You can find the original story below.
Original story: NBA 2K21 players were surprised to recently find that the game is able to play unskippable ads. The ads show up during loading, though only last about as long as the loading screen itself.
A number of Reddit users reported the issue this morning, sharing their dismay that ads exist at all in a premium, $60 game ($70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X) that's already stuffed to the brim with microtransactions.
Stevivor verified that the ads play on all platforms, across PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The ad the site got was one for the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. It played before episode seven of MyTEAM Season 2, an in-game TV show that plays before the match.
Players have to wait for the ad to finish before they can press continue and get on. If you're thinking this sounds familiar, it's because 2K Games also added unskippable ads with NBA 2K20 - last year's game - sometime after launch.
Indeed, EA also tried a similar move with UFC 4 just last month, before the publisher was forced to pull the ads in response to some very negative feedback. Their implementation in UFC 4 was arguably worse, given how they played during in-match replays.
For now, it looks like business as usual for NBA 2K and its players, however unfavourable the move may be.
NBA 2K21 is out now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Its PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version will be released alongside the next-gen consoles, and feature big overhauls to animation and visuals.