NBA 2K21s made players will include women, but not until the next generation

NBA 2K21 will include for the first time playable, user-created female avatars in its MyPlayer suite of offerings, but the feature will not join the game until the next generation edition launches for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Visual Concepts, the 2K-owned studio that makes the game, will no longer comment on the next-generation version NBA 2K21 until after the current edition launches new week. But it’s another step to bring WNBA and women’s players to full parity in the NBA 2K Series’ modes and offerings. Last year, NBA 2K20 added the WNBA to the MyLeague mode, allowing players for the first multi-season control, management and development of a women’s basketball team.

A news release ahead of a Q&A with Visual Concepts developers on Wednesday mentioned that NBA 2K21 players “will be able to create a female customizable MyPlayer,” the name of the game for the avatar used in various modes. MyPlayers participate in a variety of collaborative / competitive games, and have a progression system that ranks their skills as they earn (or buy) and customizes them with custom shoes and other looks.

Erick Boenisch, NBA 2K21‘s executive producer, said only that NBA 2K21 will have “some new features and evolutions for WNBA and next-gen [consoles]; stay on top of that. It remains unanswered whether there will be a WNBA component to the single-player career. Male superstars play in both the pickup games and on an NBA team in a multi-season career.

Image: Visual Concepts / 2K Sports

EA Sports’ NBA Live 19, which launched in 2018, had female players created in the competitive mode, The One, but they only play in a world tour of all-star teams mixed gender, and in the online co-op / competitive modes of NBA Live. The year before, NBA Live 18 was the first game with the WNBA, but it did not give that league any kind of continuous or long-playing mode; It was just a one-time, play-now game.

It’s also unclear how, if anything, the story that serves as a prelude to MyCareer women would involve. NBA 2K21 on current consoles and PC, Sept. 4 launch, will introduce a new person for players – “Junior”, the son of a famous NBA player who lives with the weight of high expectations. Junior’s story, called “The Long Shadow”, brings real team teams back to the story, with players choosing from 10 universities to begin their careers. Connecticut, Florida, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Texas Tech, UCLA, Villanova, and West Virginia have signed up for the game.

NBA 2K19 and NBA 2K20The story mode did not include any colleges. Their narratives involved overseas basketball, the NBA Development League, and a fictional university as a backdrop for a conflict between the player’s character and his coach. The series has used them in the past to add flavor to a player’s back story.

Ben Bishop, senior producer of Visual Concepts responsible for MyCareer, said that The Long Shadow will actually start in high school, as the game on board players is both new and returning with games with progressive issues.

Image: Visual Concepts / 2K Sports

“The beginning of your career leading you into the NBA, I think, was important this year, especially given many of the ways gameplay has changed,” Bishop said Wednesday. “I think the rise from high school and then to college, which is a little less challenging than playing against NBA players, is a great way to get your feet wet and teach the mechanics as you go your way. work towards the beginning. “

NBA 2K21Gameplay Director Mike Wang discussed new control systems that came after the game in a diary for developers two weeks ago. That includes a new shooting method, called Shot Stick Aiming, which should make that part of the game more decisive. It is optional. Those who avoid the old controls can still use them.

Bishop said the story set in The Long Shadow will have long-term effects on the player’s career. For example, in the selection of agents, one will allow players to earn fans through the games he plays in The Park (the co-op / competitive mode outside of the NBA season). Fans are a measure of popularity of players in careers and provide benefits, cosmetics, or other unlocking.

“Hopefully it will be a compelling decision for people, and that will change depending on how you want to play the game,” Bishop said.

Image: Visual Concepts / 2K Sports

Elsewhere, The Neighborhood – the hub world where players start all their activities in MyCareer mode – will get a new venue: The Beach. It’s inspired by Southern California street courts, such as the ‘Venice Beach Basketball Courts’ in Los Angeles.

NBA 2K21 launches September 4, 2020 on Google Stadiums, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The versions of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will follow when these consoles launch later this year. A free demo is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Progression in NBA 2K21The MyTeam, like the Virtual Currency that serves all modes of play, will pass from one console generation to another (provided it is within the same console series).