The Game Awards are the most prestigious event in the gaming industry, and for the first time in years, an NBA 2K title won't be featured in it. NBA 2K24 wasn't selected for the Sports GOTY shortlist, something that should ring the alarm at the 2K studios.
Despite being one of the most popular and historic sports franchises in the video games industry, NBA 2K24 didn't even make the top five best sports games of 2023.
Let's take a look at why that is shocking, and why it needs to be a wake-up call to 2K.
NBA 2K24 misses Sports GOTY shortlist
For years NBA 2K has been a staple in the video games industry, and together with EA FC and Madden, it forms the holy trinity of sports franchises.
However, the last couple of years haven't been the best for NBA 2K. The game has become increasingly pay-to-win and received a lot of criticism from the NBA 2K community.
This all seems to culminate here, with NBA 2K24 missing out on a nomination for the Sports GOTY shortlist. Not being among the five best sports games of 2023 is disappointing for NBA 2K24, to say the least.
The game has received plenty of criticism from fans, and now it seems that even industry specialists aren't that fond of the title. Being out of the race for Sports GOTY is a huge blow for NBA 2K24 and the 2K studios, who need to take this as a warning.
It's time for a change 2K!
NBA 2K24 had plenty of hype around it before it was released, and even announced many new and exciting features. Some features were even described as revolutionary.
However, fast forward two months after its release, and it's safe to say NBA 2K24 didn't deliver. The game is the most pay-to-win it has ever been and has some gameplay features that need to be fixed as fast as possible.
The community reaction to the game has been far from positive. It's the second worst-rated game of all time on Steam, and players have been complaining about mechanics such as shooting and steals since the game was released.
Despite the many patches and updates that have been released to address these problems, they have been unsuccessful in doing so. The game is still full of bugs and unrealistic mechanics, that impact the gaming experience in a negative way.
So, now that it isn't only the fans or writers criticizing the tile, but experienced industry specialists are also doing it, will 2K finally realize that it's time for a change?
Only time will tell, but there isn't a bigger wake-up call than this. Hopefully, 2K won't make the same mistakes moving forward and will deliver us an immersive basketball game, with great gameplay, and with fewer pay-to-win options, in NBA 2K25.