The Microtransaction system for NBA 2K18 has been a touchy subject to some fans of the game, but for the most part the title has received positive feedback. During an earnings call earlier today Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that both fans and critics of the game are enjoying it by the number of average daily players increasing over time. The overall sales have also increased in time as well with over 6 million copies shipped by Take Two’s count.
Even though the game’s sales and player numbers are on the rise Zelnick says that if the fans are concerned about the microtransactions, then it is something that the company will look at and potentially make changes to. He stated “We take consumer feedback very, very seriously indeed, There has been some pushback about monetization in the industry. The good news is the title was reviewed extraordinary well. People love it. The other news is that entertainment is a want-to-have business, not a must-have business.”
The focus of the game’s microtransaction controversy stems from it’s Virtual Currency system. Some have pointed out that the VC isn’t as easy to get for free as it was in past entries, and that it feels that players need to spend money in order to improve their characters. 2K has made some adjustments to the VC system such as removing VC values for facial hair and haircuts, but for some this isn’t enough. But as Zelnick said they are listening to feedback so we will just have to wait and see what changes will be made if any based on it.
“People vote ultimately with the usage. And the usage on this title is up 30 percent in terms of average daily users,” he added. “The title itself, unit sales are up 20 percent year-over-year. So people are clearly voting that they love NBA 2K18 and the reviews reflect that as well. That said, we are concerned about any perception, any negative feedback .. and we’re taking it really seriously.”