NBA 2K21 may already be in players' hands, but even some of those who weren't willing to wait likely have plans to get the upcoming next gen release for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Some new gameplay footage was shared recently and the updated NBA 2K21 visuals alone may be more than enough for fans to consider upgrading.
Earlier today, senior producer Felicia Steenhouse announced that the next gen versions will also be receiving a brand-new and exclusive MyWNBA mode, further expanding NBA 2K21's WBNA content. With this mode, players can create and customize their own woman player and journey through their own career, playing games, earning money and popularity, and building chemistry with their teammates. There will also be a sandbox of sorts that lets players fully customize their own league, right down to the rules, finances, and draft, with the option to share these settings online with other players for them to download.
Lastly, a new online mode called The W Online will be added, where two teams of three take their personal MyPlayers and have them compete against each other. Steenhouse adds that these matches take place in the most beautiful location in the whole game. And by earning MyPoints and progressing a player's career, new cosmetics like clothing and animations can be unlocked, which can be taken online to show off to other players.
The full in-depth list of details about the league and MyPlayer customization can be read on the official website, but it's certainly impressive and no doubt welcome for those that feel like the WNBA side of things may have been lacking in terms of content. However, it's also a bit of a shame that all these new additions are locked to the next gen versions, which arguably risks making the current gen versions obsolete.
These aren't even the only next gen exclusive features either. Not too long ago, gameplay director Mike Wang shared some new MyPlayer features for the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases, which were based on feedback from the community. These include new badges and Takeovers and some things have been removed or replaced altogether, like the pie chart builds.
NBA 2K21 could probably do with some good publicity at the moment, though, as it and 2K recently came under fire for incorporating unskippable ads into the loading screens, which some found obscene for a full price game.
2K, rather than simply ignore the complaints, did acknowledge them and apologized for the upset they caused. However, it hasn't opted to remove them and will instead fix them, though it's not clear if that means their placement will be moved or if there will be an option to skip them.
NBA 2K21 is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One. It will release on Xbox Series X/S on November 10th and PlayStation 5 on November 12th.
Source: 2K