Don’t do that.

Discovered recently by a reader of Stevivor, it seems 2K has done something a little sneaky behind the NBA 2K21 fans’ backs. Inserted before the usual NBA 2KTV ‘MyTEAM Season 2’ pre-game video, where players get to change their starting line-up for that upcoming match, was an unskippable advertisement for the Oculus. This footage was the same over the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC version of the game. Obviously, the players aren’t happy.

This isn’t the first time that EA – parent company of 2K – has been under scrutiny for doing such practices. Back in September, players were annoyed to find in-game ads played during replays and on overlays in UFC 4 and they were even added 2018’s UFC 3.

EA made a statement after the backlash:

“It is abundantly clear from your feedback that integrating ads into the Replay and overlay experience is not welcome … The advertisements have been disabled by the team and we apologize for any disruption to gameplay that players may have experienced.”
EA, 2020

So, why is this still happening? Obviously, in-game advertisements and product placements are mostly seen as a necessity for funding and have been a staple in sports games for the past decade, however, having paid upwards of $70 AUD for a finished product should mean the advertisements are viewed as passively as possible.

Other news outlets have stated trouble finding these Oculus advertisements so there is no word yet if this is a region-based or version-based inconvenience. EA is also yet to make a statement.