If you’ve played the new NBA 2K21 title, no doubt you’ve noticed the unskippable ads that pop up when you’re playing the game. The 15-second-long ads are a new addition to the NBA titles, and it’s fair to say some fans aren’t exactly thrilled with their inclusion.
After angry players voiced their displeasure on social media, 2K Games – the developers of the title – released a statement in which they apologised for the frustration caused. They also revealed these styles of ads would not been seen on future titles, although they stopped short of saying they’d remove them from this particular instalment.
Commenting on the backlash, 2K Games said: “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.”
The statement comes just one day after the ads were introduced, with many players furious the pop-ups had been placed into a premium title. Others also pointed out that this isn’t the first time 2K Games have irked their players with unwanted ads, as pop-ups have appeared in past titles too. This is the first time gamers have been unable to skip the adverts though, which seems to be the source of much of the frustration.
The situation is a mirror image of the anger caused by EA Sports with the UFC 4 game. When the developer of the game decided to include ads, players were quick to complain, claiming they were interrupting gameplay. EA Sports swiftly removed the ads, although 2K Games appear unwilling to do the same, which could see this situation rumble on with the majority of players clearly unhappy over their inclusion.
