Monday Tip-Off: The Point of No Return for MyCAREER

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on how MyCAREER has reached a point of no return as far as its current approach and design is concerned.

Although I’ll readily defend the past against notions that everything new is better, and point out that many old ideas can be repurposed as modern solutions, it’s absolutely possible to regress. We shouldn’t want to see that in anything, including the basketball video games that we enjoy. One of the biggest knocks on NBA Live during the eighth generation was that it felt behind the times. Even if you enjoyed the experience on the sticks, barebones modes and a lack of additional content made it feel as though the series had regressed to a point that it should’ve been well past.

It’s an issue that contributed to NBA Live’s inability to win back the crowd, and thus a further descent into dormancy and irrelevance. With that being said, while this is a pitfall that NBA 2K has avoided, Visual Concepts’ series has arguably suffered the opposite problem. There are certain ideas and approaches in NBA 2K that have now evolved so far beyond their more humble beginnings that going back to a simpler time is seemingly impossible. You might argue that this isn’t actually a problem; that a new standard or baseline has been established. Not everyone is satisfied with the current approach to MyCAREER however, and unfortunately, it’s at the point of no return.

That may sound melodramatic, but let me ask you: can you envision a scenario in which MyCAREER returns to a simpler, more old school approach? By that, I mean offering a comprehensive offline experience that remains available after the servers are shut down. I’m talking about a strictly NBA-oriented career mode, in which you don’t have to traverse an open world environment. I refer to a mode that is focused on an enjoyable gaming experience, rather than being geared towards recurrent revenue mechanics with an unpleasant grind if you choose not to pay. No Neighborhood or City, no VC and focus on cosmetic items, no Always Online requirements in sight.

Honestly, I can’t envision that happening. This is what I mean when I say that we’re at the point of no return as it pertains to MyCAREER. Obviously, a Triple-A publisher isn’t about to give up a reliable revenue stream, so even in the best case scenario, VC isn’t going anywhere. MyCAREER being at the point of no return goes beyond the greed of the suits, though. Conceptually, the game can’t go back to the way things were prior to NBA 2K18. That is to say, it technically could, but it more realistically won’t. Sure, we’ve seen other old ideas revived and new concepts being walked back on when they haven’t panned out, but I just don’t see it happening with MyCAREER.

Simply put, NBA 2K has gone all-in on the idea of featuring an open world and a variety of connected experiences as core elements of its career mode. Whether or not you see this as an improvement over the original concept is immaterial. It’s bigger and more ambitious than simply having us browse menus and step into the shoes of an NBA player. An in-depth story, no matter how annoying and poorly-written, is more creative than a handful of occasional cutscenes for flavour, or no story at all. A player avatar that can be levelled up to use both online and offline is a far more modern idea than a traditional single player campaign. Like it or not, this is what the mode is now.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t me suggesting that you shut up and enjoy it because this is just progress. I prefer the old approach, and would like to see NBA 2K find a way to cater to that preference in MyCAREER. However, we do need to acknowledge the reality that the mode has reached the point of no return, because these new aspects are now firmly entrenched and normalised. Even if 2K didn’t have a virtual monopoly over basketball gaming, they’d still be in a position to present MyCAREER gamers with an ultimatum: get used to it, get on board, or play something else, since we can’t and won’t keep catering to you old head gamers who refuse to move with the times.

Callous as that approach may be, and as disappointing as it is for someone who much prefers MyCAREER in older games, I do understand it. When you’ve been pushing the envelope with open world and MMORPG elements, collaborating with notable filmmakers and casting big name actors, and generally “going bigger”, you can’t go back; you can’t downsize. Again, even if we put aside VC and envision the highly unlikely scenario where progress is fair and we’re not being pressured to spend, The City, The Neighborhood, and cinematic stories are unlikely to disappear. NBA 2K can’t spend years creating and promoting such innovations, only to drop them entirely.

Thus, it’s the point of no return for MyCAREER. At best, there’ll be qualify-of-life tweaks and changes that attempt to address common complaints. The map may be redesigned so that it’s smaller, or certain locations are closer together, in an effort to be more convenient and less time-consuming. Shortcuts may be added, such as the fast travel subways in The City and elevators on the GOAT Boat in their respective versions of NBA 2K23. Cumbersome ideas such as having to return to your home base to change clothes will be reconsidered. These are welcome improvements of course, but they can’t address the larger complaint of disliking the overall approach.

It should also be noted that not everyone dislikes The City, The Neighborhood, and other aspects of the contemporary approach to MyCAREER, and wouldn’t want to see it revert to a more traditional/minimalist/barebones experience. This is why we need to be careful about saying “no one wants that”, because we can only ever speak for ourselves, and to some extent, people with a similar mindset. Even if you don’t like everything about MyCAREER in recent NBA 2K games, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want to see it scrapped in favour of the old approach. Ideally, the game shouldn’t cater to one group at the expense of another, though that’s far easier said than done.

Obviously, there are ways that both groups of MyCAREER gamers could be catered to. MyLEAGUE and MyGM provided us with alternatives as far as the franchise experience is concerned, which has continued over into the customisation options of MyNBA. Older games have featured an offline MyCAREER, and while that was disappointingly barebones by NBA 2K19, it proves that the idea is viable. Mind you, “viable isn’t necessarily ideal” is as valid of an argument for 2K as it is for us. An offline MyCAREER is something that needs to be designed, programmed, and then supported. The interest, now and in the future, may not justify all the time and effort.

Now let’s bring VC and the business side of video games back into the equation. If MyCAREER is already at the point of no return conceptually, then its clear goal of generating revenue basically seals the deal. Despite the pushback, negative press – at least from anyone with the guts to criticise it – and loud calls to provide a traditional experience, the current approach to MyCAREER is extremely successful. It continues to weather all calls for boycotts, and generates millions in revenue. The community knows MyCAREER is at the point of no return, and though some will boycott, many others will grit their teeth and endure it, because there is still appeal in the mode.

This may lead us to conclude that pushing for a return to a more traditional approach to MyCAREER is to set ourselves up to be disappointed, and there’s a lot of truth in that. However, this only means that we should temper our expectations, not give up entirely. There’s still value in expressing interest in having greater separation between offline and online play, and passion for the NBA-oriented experience without having a narrative attached. It’s worth speaking up if you’re not enjoying MyCAREER as much as in older games. There’s no guarantee that you’ll see satisfactory change, but history suggests that feedback from the community can have a positive effect.

Consider that The City is smaller in NBA 2K23 than it was in NBA 2K22, based on gamer feedback. Although they don’t completely alleviate the problem of having an open world if you don’t like the concept in a basketball video game, the fast travel facilities of the elevators and subways do address a common and valid complaint. Going back further, the ability to skip cutscenes/the entire story was added, while haircuts were made free again. You’ll never get everything you want, especially if it comes at the expense of profits and/or what the majority prefers. We can reach some agreeable compromises though, with improvements that potentially benefit everyone.

It’s not my intention to discourage more ambitious suggestions, of course. There’s no harm in putting forth the idea of providing a separate, more traditional MyCAREER mode. Once again, older games have shown it’s viable, and there’s also a template for catering to different preferences in MyLEAGUE and MyGM. It’s just that it seems highly unlikely, especially given the revenue that MyCAREER will generate. It’s unfortunate, as it’s leaving an incredible basketball gaming experience out in the cold in the interest of squeezing as much money out of the userbase as possible. Getting hooked on MyCAREER in NBA 2K14 reminded me of how fun the mode used to be.

We are at the point of no return for MyCAREER, though; or perhaps more accurately, beyond it. Financially, creatively, conceptually, there’s no going back to what the mode used to be. As much as I truly believe it would improve the experience in many ways, there’s no denying that it would be seen as regression. There are also too many gamers that genuinely enjoy the current state of the mode, or will actively shill for anything NBA 2K does. It’s disheartening to think that MyCAREER will never be as good as it once was, but there are ways that it could be a better version of what we have now. With that prospect in mind, I’d suggest that it’s always worth speaking up.