2K22 MAY BE THE LAST 2K ON PC

[Andrew]

To me, the main drawback would be having to wait a couple of months until the PS5/XSX version is released to actually play it. If the PC were getting a Next Gen port, there's no way that version would be coming out before the consoles.

I'm also sceptical about how much better the Next Gen version will actually be, outside of graphical enhancements and loading times. Not that those are insignificant aspects, of course, but looking back at NBA 2K14 on PS4/X1, it didn't play much differently to the PC/PS3/360 version despite its new Eco-Motion engine. It was visually superior, but there were the same legacy issues, some reused animations, and familiar design philosophies.

That's why although I am intrigued by the idea that NBA 2K21 Next Gen has been "built from the ground up", we've heard such things before. It seems unlikely that every single animation and asset is brand new (indeed, the dunk animation in the announcement trailer is quite familiar), and it's the same team making the game, so it's going to follow a similar blueprint to past games. It's still going to have that signature 2K style, for better and worse. It may indeed be a superior game, or it may have a lot of new issues and lack some of the stability of Current Gen. Both are distinct possibilities, and I've gone through too many preview seasons to not take marketing hype with a grain of salt.

If nothing else, we might be able to do some really special things with the Current Gen port on PC, much as NBA 2K14 was one of the best games for modding and a title a lot of people have stuck with to this day. I think we'll be able to make the best of the situation, though at the same time I won't downplay anyone's disappointment or discourage anyone from skipping the game if they feel that strongly about it. I'm just looking at the pros as well as the cons, based on how things have gone down in the past.

As I've said before, I also figured there was a strong possibility that PC would be a Current Gen port for another year, especially with the later release of the Next Gen systems and considering what happened with NBA 2K14. To that end, I'm not surprised by the news, and was definitely prepared to hear it be confirmed, so I wasn't getting my hopes up.

[jmmontoro]

People shouldn't feel disappointed or anything, this is strictly business, probably most developers have agreements with Sony and Microsoft to favour their consoles and delay any PC release.

[Andrew]

I think disappointment is understandable, but it's not something to take personally. As you said, it's a business decision based on market share and the like.

[Hadley88]

Anyone who can run 2K20 would be able to run 2K21 (next gen) on PC. Nobody is forced to run the Game in 2160p/Ultra Details. The argument of Steam Survey Stats is ridiculous. Lots of people browse Steam with a fucking Laptop or a Office-PC at work. The Steam stats are always terrible, especially since the xx Million Chinese players have worse hardware in general. By that retarded argument Cyberpunk and RDR2 should not be on PC too...


The only reason PC is old Gen is because Taketwo is the worst publisher ever and they dont give a fuck about PC.

[Thunder Shaq]

I would rather they take the time to create a strong PC port for 2k22, rather than a potentially rushed product this year. Apparently COVID had hurt their efforts to pump out a "Next-Gen" PC game this year. I had expectations of having to wait a year considering what happened with 2k14 anyways. The real dilemma is whether or not I want to have 2k21 opening night or if I want to wait for a deal/significant mod tools to be released so I can pump out my usual rosters. I can be easily swayed so a few more classic teams or a shiny new Kobe Bryant inspired game mode may be enough to pre-order the game (think Jordan Challenge or LeBron Path to Greatness). Graphics aren't a huge pull for me (I honestly feel this current gen looks good enough for me to enjoy it), so I don't necessarily feel left out with 2k21 not having a Next-Gen port.

[[Q]]

Mike Wang on 2k TV said they outsourced the work for current gen while they worked on next gen

Can't really expect much other than updated rosters and jerseys

[Thunder Shaq]

Although disappointing for a lot of people, I think an underrated aspect of the lack of change from 2k20 to 2k21 is the potential compatibility. We may see that mods from 2k20 will work on 2k21, much like how it worked with 2k13 and 2k14. As a roster maker, being able to simply carry over cyberfaces made for 2k20, would be such a blessing, as I depend so much on the community to make them. Rosters would be pumped out at record pace if much of the mods (and maybe tools??) could easily be ported to 2k21.

[Andrew]

Mike Wang on 2k TV said they outsourced the work for current gen while they worked on next gen

Can't really expect much other than updated rosters and jerseys

Pretty much what EA did with NBA Live 08 PC/PS2, and NBA Live 09 PS2 if I recall correctly.

Although disappointing for a lot of people, I think an underrated aspect of the lack of change from 2k20 to 2k21 is the potential compatibility. We may see that mods from 2k20 will work on 2k21, much like how it worked with 2k13 and 2k14. As a roster maker, being able to simply carry over cyberfaces made for 2k20, would be such a blessing, as I depend so much on the community to make them. Rosters would be pumped out at record pace if much of the mods (and maybe tools??) could easily be ported to 2k21.

Absolutely, that is the silver lining here. Also, if there are any teething problems with Next Gen, there's a chance a lot of them will be sorted out by the time it's ported to PC, presumably NBA 2K22. It also means we don't have to wait until the Holiday Season to get it on PC.

[eddie2003prt]

The season overlap will be very weird as well. The draft and free agency will be in late October. There will be 7-8 weeks where 20 and 21 will basically be the same content wise.

[Andrew]

Indeed. With that in mind, it's weird that the NBA wasn't willing to push back the release date. As it is the game traditionally comes out over a month before the season tips off, and these are very different times on top of that.

[[Q]]

I'm sure VC would've liked some extra time to add to the next gen version of the game, but they would rather put something out to get more money from microtransactions

[Andrew]

Well, Next Gen is coming out later. It's Current Gen that'll be out before the restarted 2020 season is over. How that translates to development time is another matter admittedly, since games don't just go gold a couple of days before release. And of course, Day 1 patches are inevitable these days anyway.

[Thunder Shaq]

Yeah I never really thought about that. The game is basically going to have to launch with 2019-20 rosters, which is a bit different from 2k12 which included some trades but no rookies due to the lockout. This would honestly be the perfect year to delay the game’s release and launch with Next-gen (as it coincides better with the current NBA situation)

[GoatGod]

Just hearing this news after spending so much money and time

Money hungry people kill all the fun some times.

I'll be playing Nat's bubble mod on 2k20 all year then lol

[Dee4Three]

Smart move by 2K (good business decision) and good for the gamers as well.

Sure, I wanted the PC version to be next gen, but the fact is, this gives gamers a chance to sink their teeth into NBA 2K21 3 to 4 months early (on PS4, X1 and PC), allows them to use updated rosters, the new modes (or depth of modes), new WNBA features, etc. The gameplay will most likely be 2K20.5, but the game will still have new content for people to get into. If they had waited for the PS5 technology to be released, and made the PC version in line with the PS5 version, gamers would have had to wait another 3 or 4 months for a PC version to be released.

It will be the most profitable year for 2K ever (for the NBA 2K franchise) between having two separate releases, where A LOT of people will double dip, and of course the fact that they are embarking on a new gen.

It will also allow people in this PC community to show off mods for the next few months for 2K21, as most likely the tools we currently have will be transferable/usable with the new game. We will end up getting mods/updates on week 1, and regardless of us having so much content created for 2K20, it doesnt change the fact that the majority of people will move onto the newest game (as history has shown time and time again), and want to mod that one as a primary.

Either way, I believe we will get a PS5 version for PC for 2K22, in the meantime we can try and enjoy the PC version 2K21, as well as dive into the PS5 version later in the year.

Also of note, for the people who do not double dip, and enjoy the hell out of PC mods and the PC modding scene in general.... some of you may be thankful that the PC version is the PS4 version... as mods will be available out of the gate as opposed to trying to figure out the new file structure, make new tools etc.

I pre-ordered 2K21 for the PC, so let's see how it goes and how different it is from 2K20.

[sticky-fingers]

you dont really like 2K20 right now, so why pre-order a 2K2(0.)1 ?!
all the more so at the current price

i hope i'm wrong, but im pretty sure that external developers who work on the current gen. are just going to work on the roster and visual update.

I don't think 2K gave them the keys to the truck and a go to modify deeply the gameplay.

Let's say its a collector move !

[Dee4Three]

I get the game every year, and I play it and like to look at it regardless of how much I love the game. Being on PC, we also get new assets (faces, art, etc) that we can use in past games. It's a worthwhile investment for me. Yes, I am a collector as well.

Also, they have two different studios working on the two different games (2K21 this gen and next gen), which is a great idea and makes me believe that they are indeed making 2K21 for this gen somewhat of a priority.

In the trailer, they have hinted at college teams (probably for mycareer, MAYBE for offline use, who knows), hinted at new classic teams (Pau Gasol in a Lakers jersey... possibly 08-09 and 09-10 Lakers), they hinted at some sort of international additions, they announced the female create a player feature for mycareer (which could be expanded to allow women created players in offline as well), etc

The gameplay may be very similar to 2K20, but again it's getting a new game with updated rosters, new features/depth, into peoples hands 3 to 4 months before the PS5 version comes out. I will double dip this year, a lot of people will.

[Andrew]

Assuming close to 100% compatibility, those new assets in NBA 2K21 could be very useful for NBA 2K20 modding. Another silver lining, and one that could end up benefiting people who stick with NBA 2K20.

[Thunder Shaq]

You both make fantastic points on this. I am not expecting any major jumps in gameplay for 2k21 PC, so I know it will likely be 2k20.1 in that aspect. It would be HUGE if 2k20 mods can carry over smoothly for 2k21. If that is the case, I can see 2k21 being the new 2k14 of PC where it hangs around a bit longer with a decent sized community. Hoping for new classic teams and general content to keep 2k21 interesting of course

[RayRay_953]

Depending on how the game is handled, we could very well see a dedicated modding community like we have for 2K14. If 2K22 on PC is indeed the next gen version, chances are most people won't have the necessary power to run the game, and will require massive upgrades to their PC (which is one reason why you still see people modding 2K14; because it shared similar file information from its predecessor, and wasn't as demanding as 2K15's specs).

In the trailer, they have hinted at college teams (probably for mycareer, MAYBE for offline use, who knows), hinted at new classic teams (Pau Gasol in a Lakers jersey... possibly 08-09 and 09-10 Lakers), they hinted at some sort of international additions, they announced the female create a player feature for mycareer (which could be expanded to allow women created players in offline as well), etc

I wouldn't assume that they're going to feature the '09 or '10 Lakers quite yet (although I hope to be proven wrong). Yes, Pau was seen in a Lakers uniform, but that could've easily been taken from the All-Time Lakers as Gasol is present on their team. This isn't the first time that's happened, as when the '07 Warriors were revealed as a classic team in 2K18, they showed a screenshot of Baron Davis posterizing Andrei Kirilenko with the mid 2000's Jazz Alternates, which people speculated that the '07 Jazz would also be included as a historic team.

[Thunder Shaq]

I think the difference is the Warriors were already said to be the FINAL announced classic team, so it was already confirmed that we weren't seeing the Jazz. This would be a perfect year to add that Lakers team as they have the rights to the main guys except Bynum. I definitely think that Gasol came from the all-time Lakers, but I wouldn't rule out new classic teams

[eddie2003prt]

Here's some current gen info that leaked today.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmaziq ... 5d22511e23

[jk31]

This shot stick stuff sounds really, really bad if you ask me. We go back to aiming and not just timing the shot? If we hold the stick in any other direction than straight back from the basket, we perform dribble moves? The controls have always been really inacuratte and nonresponsive. I expect the worst....Hope you can disable all this nonsense.

[go7denboot]

I really dont meant to be negative but its so disrespecful to make people pay full price for a 2K20 update basically without any real update yet since next season will be push back. Seeing the gameplay/myteam blog, its really concerning. And the point made by some of you who saying: its good because all mods will be compatible... is very stupid because whats the point of switching to 2K21 if the game is not even better than the previous one its basically the same. Its very dishonest from 2k where Nba Live made their season update free last season or PES who sell their season update half price. Do you realize that the game is coming out in less than 2 weeks and there is no real gameplay footage yet, thats a really bad sign.

[Issy]

I really dont meant to be negative but its so disrespecful to make people pay full price for a 2K20 update basically without any real update yet since next season will be push back. Seeing the gameplay/myteam blog, its really concerning. And the point made by some of you who saying: its good because all mods will be compatible... is very stupid because whats the point of switching to 2K21 if the game is not even better than the previous one its basically the same. Its very dishonest from 2k where Nba Live made their season update free last season or PES who sell their season update half price. Do you realize that the game is coming out in less than 2 weeks and there is no real gameplay footage yet, thats a really bad sign.

Agree. First time i didn't even want to test the demo.