The NPD Group has published the US sales figures for games in September 2019, and a curious situation emerges: The heavily criticized sports game NBA 2K20 is in first place – even ahead of Borderlands 3!
What do the charts look like? According to the NPD Group, 2K’s NBA 2K20 was the best-selling game in the USA in September, ranking in position 1. Closely followed by Borderlands 3 in 2nd place. Positions 3 to 5 are occupied by FIFA 20, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Madden NFL 20.
Thus, the game has sold better than Borderlands 3 from the same publisher.
Gambling in Basketball
Why was the game criticized? When NBA 2K20 was announced, it faced a storm of criticism. 2K showcased casino mechanics for the MyTeam mode. You can spin a slot machine or turn a wheel of fortune in the game to obtain in-game items. Not only were these items seen as Pay2Win, but the entire system resembles gambling.
Games with gambling mechanics are currently under extreme scrutiny. For example, GTA 5, which introduced a casino for the online mode. Furthermore, NBA 2K20 has a PEGI rating of “3+”. Thus, even small children are introduced to gambling mechanics.
Also curious is that NBA 2K20 and Borderlands 3 come from the same publisher. However, Borderlands 3 is said to have no Pay2Win mechanics and gambling for in-game items plays no role. With NBA 2K20, the publisher, however, took the exact opposite approach.
Even the PEGI Ratings Board, which issues the age rating, has faced heavy criticism.
What did PEGI say about the situation? A spokesperson defended the age rating and explained that the mini-games in NBA 2K20 do not encourage or teach gambling, as they do not involve traditional gambling.
NBA 2K20 is still extremely popular
Has the criticism affected the sales figures of NBA 2K20? Given the situation, which especially haunted the US gaming press and caused strong reactions, one would actually think that NBA 2K20 did not sell well. However, as can be seen, that was absolutely not the case. It was the best-selling game of the past month.
Why is the game selling so well despite the criticism? Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the USA. The NBA has an extremely large fan base. NBA games sell like hotcakes in the USA every year.
The majority of NBA fans probably either haven’t followed these discussions or are simply buying the game anyway, because it is just the new installment in the series.
What does the community say? On reddit, the title is being discussed. While there is still criticism regarding the casino mechanics, it is also mentioned that NBA 2K20 is fun and that these casino elements are not needed. It seems that people are coming to terms with it.
- kainomac says: “I totally forgot about these casino elements. I don’t use them at all, to not influence how I play the game. The gameplay is one of the best in recent years.”
- prettygordo writes: “Apparently, most of the outraged people simply don’t play MyTeam.”
