NBA 2k22 has been released and fans have noticed the game is, like its predecessors, filled with awkward product placements and they’re not happy.
The NBA 2K franchise has become a juggernaut of sports gaming. The basketball franchise is the main driver of Take-Two’s profits each year, which dips into the billions.
In the process of turning the NBA 2K franchise into a money-making machine, fans have questioned some of the design decisions along the way.
The newest installment in the 2K franchise has a lot of blatant product placement, and players are already getting frustrated with the in-game commercials.
Jake, from State Farm
In a clip that went viral on Twitter, an NBA 2K22 player posted an awkward scene in the popular ‘MyPlayer’ mode with Jake from State Farm.
The interaction is painful to watch, as Jake attempts to be a normal dude just hanging out at a basketball court, serving his community.
2K players saw this as nothing but obvious product placement, something they’ve been growing accustomed to seeing from past entries.
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— esther (@capybaroness) September 10, 2021
Esther went on to post the State Farm outfit available in the game.
“So how much money did State Farm pay to get such a ridiculously large product placement,” A Twitter user said. “Like honestly I’ve never seen anything like this. Like a contract somewhere was signed and 200 employees started to model, texture, mo-cap, and VO… This.”
NBA 2K has a long history of product placement in games, with last year’s version including full-screen advertisements splashed throughout the game.
Back then, fans threatened to boycott 2K21 until the issue were resolved, and we can see much of that ire on display again for this year’s entry.
Hopefully, the NBA 2K dev team hears out the fans and makes some changes.
