Are you wondering if NBA 2K24 will be crossplay, allowing you to play with friends on different platforms? Given that crossplay has been implemented in other popular sports games like MLB The Show 23, PGA Tour 2K23, and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, it’s natural for basketball fans to hope for this feature in the upcoming edition of NBA 2K24. So we’ve collected all the available information and made predictions based on the buzz surrounding this year’s release.
How Crossplay Works in NBA 2K24
Yes, NBA 2K24 will be Crossplay supported, which is a big deal because it is the first time in the NBA 2K franchise. Crossplay, one of the most community-requested features, was confirmed by President at Visual Concepts during an interview with ESPN: “As we celebrate 25 years of NBA 2K with Kobe Bryant, we commemorate his legacy and the generational impact he has had on basketball. While we mark the franchise’s history, NBA 2K24 also looks ahead to the future to bring an innovative technological leap and the introduction of community-requested features like crossplay.”
However, Crossplay will only be available on New Gen NBA 2K24, meaning only the latest console generations, like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, will be crossplay supported. While this may be disappointing for those ballers who still own or have friends who play on last-gen consoles, this isn’t surprising. Most video game developers have said they will stop supporting last-generation consoles. In addition, an NBA 2K account, internet connection, and separate, paid online console subscriptions are required for crossplay support.
Will NBA 2K24 Be Free to Play?
No, 2K24 won’t be free to play and will most likely be available at the traditional price of modern sports games. In addition, during the recent announcement of Kobe Bryant being the cover athlete, it was also announced that there would be different editions, like the Black Mamba edition. No further information, like the cost difference between the different editions, is available now but should be released soon.
However, YouTuber ShakeDown2012 had a great idea on how they could make it free to play, which I’m all for. His idea is to make the city a free-to-play environment and have access to my player builder to customize your baller. In addition, you could play against other real-life ballers, but only with an online connection. He continues that the paid version of 2K24 would add premium features like my career storyline mode and the ability to play offline. He also thinks this type of format would mean we would go from a six-week season to a battle pass allowing players to unlock higher-level builds after grinding levels out.
I think ShakeDown2012’s thoughts are perfect because not everyone loves playing online against other players, and not all players love my career storyline mode, and this gives us the opportunity for us to play as we choose. Whether you want to strictly put yourself in the shoes of a baller, from backyard ball to the pros, or become the best online baller would be up to you. Adding a Battlepass could make it feel like a pay-to-win game, but other sports games like MLB The Show have done it so that it doesn’t affect matchmaking in that way. There is a lot of food for thought here, but I like what ShakeDown2012 thinks. What would you like to see?
