The current-gen version of NBA 2K21 is out now, and even though it isn’t a gigantic leap forward, the sameness of the gameplay and visuals hasn’t had an adverse effect on sales. In fact, the game is still one of the best-selling titles of the year, which is usually the case with 2K’s annual basketball game.
This year, to perhaps make up for the current-gen version’s lack of new features, the developers added a new shot aiming mechanic, which some players liked, but some players absolutely hated. For now, 2K has given players the option to turn shot aiming off, allowing them to rely on shot timing like in the previous games. As of this writing, we don’t know if the new shooting mechanic will be carried over to the next-gen version of 2K21.
In addition to adding a new shooting mechanic, 2K also changed up the theme of its neighborhood, and with Halloween on the horizon, it looks like they’ll be making a few more changes to reflect the fall season. Below, you can check out a preview of the new neighborhood, which should arrive sometime this week.
Another look at the halloween themed park coming next week #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/zPJklKijgo
— NBA 2K22 News (@2KInsiderr) October 3, 2020
There’s still no official word on when NBA 2K21 will be released on next-gen consoles, nor do we know when the developers plan to show more than a CGI trailer. Many expected the game to be shown during the PlayStation 5 event a few weeks ago, but the event ended, and we still had nothing new regarding 2K on next-gen.
We do know that the game will cost more on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and during a recent interview with Protocol, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the price increase, saying that the game’s production costs have gone up between 200 and 300% in recent years while its standard retail price has stayed the same. So, in his mind, the price increase is justified, and it’s been a long time coming.
“The bottom line is that we haven’t seen a front-line price increase for nearly 15 years, and production costs have gone up 200 to 300%,” Zelnick said. “But more to the point since no one really cares what your production costs are, what consumers are able to do with the product has completely changed.”
NBA 2K21 still doesn’t have an official release date for next-gen consoles, but it’s probably safe to assume that the game will arrive sometime around Christmas, or in early-2021 at the latest.