From 2K’s point of view, encouraging fan involvement in the matter makes every bit of sense. The decision to legislate against loot boxes and other randomized item mechanics is a direct result of the action taken by unhappy fans. In addition to some very strongly worded posts on social media, fans also created and gathered support via petitions and many sat down with local legislators to work on ways to remove loot boxes. So 2K’s thinking is that it could reverse the legislation by leveraging that same enthusiasm; albeit, enthusiasm for loot boxes instead of against them.
But others have poked fun and fury at the publisher, saying that its efforts will only fail. After all, last year’s NBA 2K18 sparked backlash with its microtransactions and the game’s business model has been under a microscope for even longer. Some fans of the basketball sim series have also said that they will be avoiding this year’s iteration as a direct result of the “grind.” Because of this, some are sceptical that 2K’s efforts to galvanize any pro-loot box players will succeed.
NBA 2K19 will be released on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on September 11, 2018.
Source: 2K
