NBA 2K23 players slam EA Sports games for overpriced microtransactions and a lack of focus on gameplay, while others defend the sports devs.
EA Sports games are “overpriced and filled with microtransactions” and have become vehicles to deliver advertisements, according to some NBA 2K23 players in a heated Reddit thread. The basketball game debate stemmed from a discussion on the state of sports games, with many users arguing that they have become repetitive and over-monetized in recent years.
“Sports games used to be the pinnacle of gaming,” one user writes. “Now they’re just stores that you play in. Literally, everything you see in the game is in the marketplace. Every feature, every animation. If it’s in the game, it’s in the market place.” They add, “EA used to make actual games. They made some great ones too. They gave us so many memories. I don’t know what to say. They’ve never been worse.”
EA Sports is a frequent target for microtransaction criticism, with the company’s games often seen as vehicles to push digital card purchases rather than gameplay-focused titles. NBA 2K gets a pass on this front, but The Show is mentioned as an exception due to a decent career mode that isn’t heavily influenced by microtransactions.
Another user writes, “EA Sports games are just too expensive. I used to buy NHL every year but with how expensive it is, I can’t justify spending so much money on a game.” The user adds, “EA Sports games have never been worse with the direction they’re going. They’re just cash grabs.”
“NBA 2K has gone even further with its My Career mode and how it is filled with microtransactions. It’s gotten to the point where there are people who have stopped buying NBA 2K games altogether,” another writes.
“I’m still buying 2K,” a third responds. “I feel like it still has solid gameplay for offline modes and I don’t really have to deal with microtransactions too much if I just stick to My Park and My Career.”
“Yeah, I’m not buying EA after the digital card purchases, but 2K23 is an even worse offender than 2K,” another writes. “I miss the days when EA Sports games were just games and not microtransaction stores.”
“I can’t wait for the Starfield subreddit to start making up features for the game and then see articles about it in the media,” another quips, referencing the rampant speculation about Bethesda’s upcoming space RPG.
There’s also a comment about the humorous bug in the Tiger Woods games that resulted in South Park episodes being included on the game discs, apparently due to “animator error.”
Whether or not you’re an EA Sports fan, I think we can all agree that this is a pretty funny story.
In any case, it’s clear that many NBA 2K23 players are frustrated with the current state of EA Sports games. One user writes, “Gaming has changed for the worse. It’s less about features and more about monetization. It’s sad that EA Sports games have become more like stores than actual games.”
However, it’s important to recognize that not all EA Sports games are the same, and different games have different strengths and weaknesses.
