NBA 2K25 made headlines in July when it unveiled its three cover athletes. NBA star Jayson Tatum, WNBA star A’ja Wilson, and NBA legend Vince Carter were chosen as this year’s cover stars for their recent outstanding performances. However, apart from these cover stars, the official did not reveal much about the game in advance.

Players did not see any gameplay footage, trailers, or promotional videos before pre-ordering, except for the usual perks. Video game content creators complained that NBA 2K did not even try to hide the fact that the game may be too similar to NBA 2K24 and even previous versions.

Usually, Rookies entering the league and players changing teams are regarded as the main content updates of the game, while other aspects seem to be stagnant. This year, the announcement of the pre-order date and the lack of information caused more dissatisfaction. NBA 2K25 needs to start paying attention and improving its fan service or it could face even stronger negative reactions.

Lack Of Update Information Before Pre-Order

In most cases, video games are released with some attractive offers and new features to attract players. However, NBA 2K chose to speed up the release of the game, a strategy that has disappointed many fans who were already dissatisfied with the game. With the success of new games such as College Football 25, games such as Madden and NBA 2K will face greater competition in the coming months.

The lack of updates since the pre-order announcement of NBA 2K25 has frustrated many fans who were looking forward to it. They expected to see improvements to the actual gameplay, as well as news about the player’s personal challenge mode or new game features. For example, NBA 2K24 introduced Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Moment as a new content, which provided players with something new. But these were not revealed in the announcement.

The lack of pre-order information has made people worry about whether this year’s game will be innovative and whether the developers are willing to bring changes. Some believe that NBA 2K series, which only makes minor changes every year by updating the player list, may eventually lose some players because of this repetitiveness.

Even the instant game mode, which competes against existing teams online, has not been updated in more than five years. Every aspect of NBA 2K has room for improvement and at least some new content. However, the lack of other news in the quick pre-order announcement besides the cover star makes people worry about the future of the game.

Weak Pre-Order Perks

Virtual currency and microtransactions remain a highly controversial topic in the video game community. Some games, such as Fortnite and Fall Guys, can obtain cosmetics or other rewards for free or at a low price. But NBA 2K is different, as a game that costs a high price to obtain, players often feel that they need to pay further to fully experience all game modes.

The microtransaction benefits in the pre-order bonus of NBA 2K25 are not enough to attract players. The focus of the pre-order bonus seems to be virtual currency, and the amount of game funds obtained depends on the version of the game purchased. The high prices of high-value items in NBA 2K make them difficult to redeem even as pre-order bonuses, which adds to player dissatisfaction.

MyCareer mode offers a variety of pre-order bonuses to attract NBA 2K players, such as NBA 2K25 MT Coins. But these rewards are difficult to excite players. Even the most valuable Hall of Fame edition offers only a small part of the advantages players seek in MyCareer mode.

Another popular game mode is MyTeam, which satisfies players’ desire to build a dream roster. The most attractive pre-order bonuses include an Amethyst coach card and a Jayson Tatum card with an 89 overall. However, because of the large number of excellent player cards rated over 90 in MyTeam mode, Tatum pre-order card may soon become less valuable.

The popularity of basketball has been further enhanced by WNBA and Olympics, which have brought significant attention to basketball during NBA offseason. NBA 2K has an opportunity to enhance the game experience by improving the presentation of WNBA and utilizing Team USA rosters. MyCareer and MyTeam modes would be much more attractive if they offer more attractive pre-order bonuses.

Now less than three days away from the release date of NBA 2K25, we have known that NBA 2K25 has significant improvements in the engine and gameplay, which will further enhance the overall visual effects and control feel of the game. NBA 2K25 has also completely overhauled several core game mechanics to enhance players’ tactical options on offense and defense.

These new features will hopefully make NBA 2K25 one of the best works in the series and meet the long-awaited expectations of some players. These adjustments fully demonstrate the uniqueness of NBA 2K25 and its difference from previous 2K titles. Hopefully, with the release of the game on September 6, 2024, you will experience for yourself how these changes will profoundly affect the game experience.