Ask gamers about the greatest-ever basketball video game, and the majority will probably say that it was NBA 2K11, a 2010 release that caught lightning in a bottle for a variety of reasons, not least because it incorporated special gameplay based on the career of the legendary Michael Jordan.
Back then, the annual release of a new NBA game was considered a marquee moment, a chance to see what the developers cooked up to satisfy legions of gamers and basketball fans.
But more recent releases have been a little more muted. Some have been excellent games, others not so much, but there is a feeling of sameness that will make you wonder how long these annual releases have to go. Despite that, sales remain undeniably healthy.
Sports fans are used to annual cycles
Indeed, while NBA 2K11 is widely cited as the most beloved game, its sales figures pale in comparison to games released in the 2020s. It sold around five million copies, but consider that NBA 2K20 sold over 14 million. There was nothing remarkable about the latter.
The same could be said for many other sports games – Madden, FIFA/EA Sports FC. WWE 2K – so many have been recognized as having their peak era long in the past, but they continue to see year after year, as fans must get their hands on the latest version.
Perhaps there is some nostalgia at play. Many of us look at retro games – of all types – and remember how they made us feel in our childhoods. There is also the fact that the number of gamers globally has ballooned over the last few decades, so too has the amount of money that individuals are willing to spend per year.
There are plenty of alternatives to the NBA 2K series for basketball fans, ranging from the excellent Hoop Land on Steam to the casual slot Hoop Kings found among McLuck social casino games. But players are still happy to shell out $69.99 every fall for the new version.
So, you might argue that the developers of these annual sports releases have hit a sweet spot: there is a ready-made market of millions of fans, many of whom would feel left behind if they did not get their hands on the latest release; there’s also a sense of reflexivity in the market, with kids, for example, receiving the latest game as a Christmas present each year.
Many great games get overlooked for established brands
But might the developers be taking the market for granted? Gaming feels increasingly saturated. While there is obviously a lot of dross out there, it is increasingly difficult to get discovered. Games like the NBA 2K series have carved out a slice of the market, while more innovative and interesting games get overlooked.
That poses an awkward question for annual sports franchises: are they still evolving because the format demands it, or merely because the calendar says so? There was a time when each new release felt like a big step forward – like NBA 2K11 – but that doesn’t feel like the case anymore.
In other genres, games are increasingly built to last for years. Fortnite, GTA Online, Rocket League, and countless others have shown that constant updates can keep players engaged for long periods. With sports games, it feels increasingly like a cash grab, and one wonders whether gamers will soon vote with their wallets.
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