[News] NBA 2K21 Adds Unskippable Ads Despite Being A Full-Price Game

[AL_MAOT]

NBA 2K21 has added a new feature--video ads that cannot be skipped. Stevivor reports that the game now features ads that will play between matches, and which you cannot skip through. These ads are for the Oculus Quest 2, and they've been spotted in the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game.

This is a tactic we're used to seeing in free-to-play titles, but NBA 2K21 is a full-priced title--and depending on which version you bought, it can cost up to $100.

Here's a video recorded by Stevivor of one of the ads playing in the game's MyTeam mode, which has now entered Season 2.

 

2K has tellingly added these ads well after reviews of the game has hit, which were already scored lower than previous entries in the series--GameSpot gave NBA 2K21 a 6/10. They also come weeks after players may have committed to purchasing the game.

The NBA 2K series has already received criticism for its focus on monetization and microtransactions beyond the initial cost of the game--these ads will likely make things worse for the series' reputation. EA's UFC 4 similarly added--and then soon removed--unskippable ads between rounds.