Reports have surfaced that the controversial PC, PS4, and Xbox One game NBA 2K19 by publisher 2K and developer Visual Concepts has unskippable ads (as in advertisements) during load times. The game already launched at standard AAA retail price coupled with egregious microtransactions, but it looks like ads have joined the mix for maximum profits.
This was rumbling around the quiet parts of the Internet until it bubbled up to the surface, with folks who purchased NBA 2K19 finding out that there are unskippable ads during load times.
Over on Twitter, users such as Allen and Blerds Online express discontent regarding the ads in the controversial sports game with the former and latter posting the following tweets:
Hey @NBA2K, putting unskippable ads on a game we already paid money for is the kind of BS that will make people stop buying. Totally insane. Love, a guy who’s been buying your game since 2k1.
— Allan (@allan__simon) June 22, 2019
Everybody bought @NBA2K last week when it was on sale for $3 just so they can turn around and add in unskipable ads before games. They got us. That fucking @Ronnie2K boomed us. They’re so good. pic.twitter.com/etTz3K0afv
— Blerds Online (@BlerdsOnline) June 22, 2019
Lo, Twitter was not the only place where purchasers expressed their disgust pertaining to NBA 2K19’s new ad tactic, folks on Steam took to the review section to warn other gamers like GoSu Zolux:
“Are you ♥♥♥♥ing serious??? Unskipable advertisement for a tv show in the loading screen of a ♥♥♥♥ing $60 dollars game???? Really???”
Using sarcasm like 2K using its player base, Steam user Horvack refers to the devs of this game as “EA” to show his disgust for said company in his review in his tl;dr section:
“Thanks for the ads, EA. I guess I can’t play NBA games anymore, because… you have shareholders that are far more important than your relationship with your fans.
Sincerely,
Horvack.”
Behold, Twitter and Steam aren’t the only platforms that hold gamers elaborating on 2K’s sleazy move. On sub-reddit r/NBA2K folks gathered together to share similar woe stories too, where user BlackMagB wanted to know who would add such a thing:
“This needs way more coverage. Who the fuck adds a commercial you can’t skip in a game.”
To which user MiamiSportsNet expresses the sad truth:
“A company that knows its idiotic players will throw money at them anyway because they’re all too immature or stupid to move on to something else.”
Lastly, I bet you are thinking, “All of this is probably just hot air, where is the actual footage showing this ‘controversy’?” Well, here’s the factual evidence of 2K’s latest crafty move thanks to YouTuber xPray 4 Deathx:
“Takes 1:07 to load game (to tip off) with skipping when can. (cant skip ad, load is in bottom right, about 15 seconds of ad with game loaded) Testing the advertisement during load of game. Once game load is complete, you HAVE TO WATCH the rest of the ad and can not skip. Pathetic, choice by 2k to include ads in a 60$ game.”
