If you're itching to see an NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal, you're far from the only person in that boat.
With the NBA 2K22 release date just two weeks away, we still haven't seen a gameplay reveal or really a single second of this year's game in action.
NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal still missing with release date two weeks out
With a release date of September 10, 2021 looming in two short weeks, many are growing increasingly concerned that we still haven't had an NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal.
2K hasn't been shy about hyping up the game, but how they've done that so far has felt incredibly selective with just a few still image screenshots shared around the announcement and some during the ratings reveals.
Not a single second of actual gameplay footage has been shared so far, despite a heavy push hyping some of the various features apparently coming this year.
When you look back at the schedule followed by 2K Sports with the last three NBA 2K releases, it becomes even more clear exactly why the lack of NBA 2K22 gameplay footage is alarming.
NBA 2K19 had a gameplay trailer on August 7, 2018, followed it with a demo on August 31, 2018, and ultimately launched on September 7, 2018.
NBA 2K20 had a gameplay trailer on August 2, 2019, followed it with a demo on August 21, 2019, and ultimately launched on September 5, 2019.
NBA 2K21 had a gameplay trailer on August 6, 2020 (despite being developed during the global pandemic), followed it with a demo on August 24, 2020, and ultimately launched on September 4, 2020.
NBA 2K21 even followed it up with next gen a few months later, dropping a next gen gameplay trailer on October 6, 2020 before hitting PS5 and Xbox Series X|S early in November of 2020.
Meanwhile, it's currently August 26, 2021, there will reportedly be no demo for NBA 2K22, and somehow we still haven't had any gameplay footage despite a release date perfectly in line with the last three years.
Fans are making "no gameplay, no pre order" their rallying cry
Even without any gameplay footage to show off, 2K Sports has understandably pushed heavily to get fans to pre order the game by hyping the pre order rewards it'll come with.
Unfortunately, that traditional pre order push is backfiring as more and more time ticks by without a look at this year's gameplay.
A major section of the NBA 2K22 fanbase has started to insist that no one should place a pre order until gameplay footage has been shown.
While loud catastrophizing reactions are nothing new for fans online, and normally wouldn't be cause for alarm, they continue to gain traction with each passing day that we don't have a gameplay trailer.
We do have an idea of when the NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal might arrive, but things are still vague enough that the tease hasn't reassured many.
NBA 2K22 reveals got rolling this week with a Courtside Report and handful of images dropping Tuesday for Seasons, and another dropping Thursday for WNBA.
With two things on the docket for next week, it looks like the NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal seems to be targeting August 31, and an early morning drop around 11am ET is most likely.
That said, they very clearly wrote "dates are subject to change" in the shared image. If they choose to make the gameplay reveal another Courtside Report with written details and images without a trailer, the fan response could magnify and worsen instantaneously.
NBA 2K22 Gameplay Director's mysterious deleted tweets
Adding a final intriguing and perhaps alarming wrinkle into this situation is a string of tweets sent out by NBA 2K22 Gameplay Director Mike Wang.
Back on August 21, he sent out a series of tweets that appeared to be in response to pressure from fans asking questions about NBA 2K22 gameplay.
Wang replied to several fans with details about shooting, MyPLAYER animations, dribbling, and even some of the content the game will see.
However, hours later all the tweets had been deleted, and only one from that day about seasonal animation content was still live.
If you want to see the exact details of everything Mike Wang sent out, including images of most of the now deleted tweets, head here.
The seemingly haphazard way the title's Gameplay Director was replying to people with questions about gameplay, as well as the hasty deletion of those replies, has fueled worries about this year's gameplay.
While the decision could've just been Mike Wang deciding a cohesive NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal would be better than his scattered reply approach, it may also be a sign that development is struggling.
NBA 2K22 should be basically ready to go with launch only two weeks out, but the visual silence and absence of a proper NBA 2K22 gameplay reveal are fueling fears that this year's title is in trouble.