Going Pro: The Intriguing Unknown of the Take Two NBA E-League

[RaychelSnr]

Gentlemen, start your E-engines? All the questions and banter about who has got the better stick skills? Who runs what position better? Well, now it’s time to put your time, effort and job title where your mouth is. NBA 2K has taken another step towards the forefront of sports gaming with the release of its eSports model.

Set to debut in 2018, each NBA franchise will have the opportunity to draft individual gamers based on skill and ability, forming five-man teams to compete in an NBA/NBA 2K union that could change the way we play forever. Some think that 2K hasn't lived up to the hype the last few years in terms of supporting its eSport, and working on this new partnership behind the scenes could be a reason why. Based on things I've read, the Bucks, Grizzlies and Warriors have all made significant investments and are likely to lead the pack in this new league.

From the conversations had, it sounds like season one will last about five months. The goal seems to be to expand and create real life work opportunities, which is encouraging for someone who may be straddling the fence about whether the opportunity is legit. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the potential for the pilot: “The popularity of NBA 2K with the young and growing eSports community provides a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the gaming community. We look forward to combining our best-in- class NBA team operators with Take-Two’s competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience.”

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[ssimpsons3]

OS is no where close to understanding how competitive the Pro Am community is. Go on twitter, follow some top players and see how ruthless it is. SO much **** talk and people backing it up or having egos crushed. Constant challenges, live broadcasts of games, tournaments...even full leagues. All of this exists, and anyone who doesn't already have they foot in the door, has no shot.

[SmittyD81]

Quote: Originally Posted by ssimpsons3

OS is no where close to understanding how competitive the Pro Am community is. Go on twitter, follow some top players and see how ruthless it is. SO much **** talk and people backing it up or having egos crushed. Constant challenges, live broadcasts of games, tournaments...even full leagues. All of this exists, and anyone who doesn't already have they foot in the door, has no shot.

They already stated that they'll be announcing participants in the next few months, so it may be already safe to say that the player pool is already set for the initial launch, but that doesn't rule everyone out though. Even though this starts calendar year 2018, this could apply to NBA 2K18 or 19 for that matter. Also, if it succeeds, more opportunities will open up. So whether they've already been involved or just getting started, bottom line is GET STARTED!! You never know what may come of it if players just give up and sit on the side because of their personal start point.

Now this also means that 2K Sports is gonna have to make a very prestigious quality title within the next 2 years and can't have 20+ updates that are "fixing" things yet still breaking others. Top eSports titles don't have those issues and if 2K wants to be in that number, they gotta step the product quality way up from where it is now.

[killakrok]

Quote: Originally Posted by SmittyD81

Now this also means that 2K Sports is gonna have to make a very prestigious quality title within the next 2 years and can't have 20+ updates that are "fixing" things yet still breaking others. Top eSports titles don't have those issues and if 2K wants to be in that number, they gotta step the product quality way up from where it is now.

My thoughts exactly. The main difference between 2K as it is now and big e-sports titles is balance, something 2K clearly doesn’t have, and in many instances doesn’t want. Big e-sport titles like League of Legends, DOTA, CSGO, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege have balance at their core, and all of these games make their money off of cosmetics and DLC maps and characters that are meticulously balanced, this is the OPPOSITE of the current 2K business model that forces imbalance to encourage users to purchase VC in order to compete. This is the case in every competitive mode in 2K outside of Play Now Online which gets no attention from 2K because you can’t spend VC on it.

In MyCareer you start out a 55 overall and can’t get anywhere near any of the other rookies coming into the league who are 75+ without purchasing VC. MyPark is hugely imbalanced where my 100 hours of game time can be negated by someone else who spent $50 on VC with one button press. MyTeam is even more pay to win as you get little MT to spend from actually playing the mode, and the only real way to get a good team is to purchase VC and HOPE you get good pack odds that day.

This 2K was hyped as the one that was all about skill, but over the last 11 patches dribbling, shooting, and defense have been turned back to crap and skill doesn’t seem to matter at all, which is the ONLY thing that matters in e-sports. The current state of 2K gameplay and their business model seem to be at odds with what is required for a successful e-sports title.

[life4eva]

How can they have an ESports when out of ALL of my video games I play online NBA2k is the WORST, constant lag, drops and disconnects......

I'm on FIBER with 300Mbps up/down and I simply cannot understand.......

By FAR, the worst out of any online game I play......