Will NBA 2K24 Be Cross-Play / Cross-Platform?

By
NBA 2KW Staff
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Cross-play / cross-platform continues to be one of the top requested new features for NBA 2K24. In this article we tackle the question of cross-play in NBA 2K24, break down what cross-play is, why it’s needed in 2K24, and more.

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(updated 07/06/23)

Cross-play Confirmed for NBA 2K24!

NBA 2K24 cross-play has been confirmed by Greg Thomas, president at Visual Concepts, the studio behind NBA 2K24:

”As we celebrate 25 years of NBA 2K with Kobe Bryant, we commemorate his legacy and the generational impact he has had on the game of basketball,” Greg Thomas, president at Visual Concepts, the game’s developer, said in a statement. “While we mark the history of the franchise, NBA 2K24 also looks ahead to the future to bring an innovative leap in technology and the introduction of community-requested features like crossplay.”

What is Cross-play / Cross-platform?

Cross-play or cross-platform in gaming allows for players from different gaming consoles / platforms to play together online, e.g. Xbox with PlayStation. There’s been a consistent trend of more and more videogames have been adding cross-play support to their titles, such as Fortnite, MLB The Show 23, Madden 24, Call of Duty, Chivalry 2, and many more.

What We Know About Cross-Play in NBA 2K24

  • The cross-play trailer suggests NBA 2K24 cross-play is exclusively for new-gen (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S)
  • The cross-play trailer suggests it will be available for The City
  • Cross-play won’t be available between new-gen and last-gen (i.e. PS4/XB1 players won’t be able to play vs PS5/Xbox Series X/S players for NBA 2K24)
  • Cross-play will be for all game modes, no restrictions
  • Expect more info soon!

(Some of the following was posted before July 6)

Will There be Cross-play in NBA 2K24?

There’s a few good reasons to believe that NBA 2K24 will finally be the version in which 2K puts cross-play in the popular NBA 2K game.

  1. One the of the more substantive reasons for such optimism is that 2K has recently added cross-play support to other sports games like PGA Tour 2K23 – so we know they have the capability.
  2. 2K also undoubtedly feels more pressure to have cross-play this year, as some of their main competitors – Madden 24 and FIFA 24 – now have cross-play support.
  3. Ronnie 2K, the Digital Marketing Director for 2K Games, has said in interviews that cross-play is “something that we (at 2K) discuss every year” – so this is something where 2K is full aware of the need for cross-play, which would suggest that they’ve been actively working on a solution.
  4. Another reason is that the NBA 2K series has been desperate for some type of big innovation for the game. Cross-play would be it, offering one of the most requested features by fans.

2K Dev Rules Out Cross-Play Between New Gen & Last Gen

Now with all that being said, Ronnie 2K admitted that bringing cross-play to NBA 2K24 isn’t “as easy as turning on a switch.” One of the most prominent reasons for that would be that the NBA 2K experience varies greatly from last-gen to new-gen. Last-gen doesn’t have The City and many other features of next-gen, so finding a way to bridge the two games for cross-play would be a complicated task. So it might make more sense to have a technical solution where PS4 and Xbox One have cross-play and then Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players have cross-play, but not last-gen and new-gen.

In an exchange on Twitter, NBA 2K Developer “Da_Czar” all but ruled out cross-play between new gen and last gen.

We’ll soon find out what are in 2K’s plans when more NBA 2K24 info is revealed.

The Case for Cross-play: Why NBA 2K24 Badly Needs It

Cross-play in NBA 2K24 would accomplish several things that the game and the NBA 2K Community would benefit from:

  1. Unites the 2K Community
  2. Unites friends and family who happen to play the NBA 2K series on different consoles
  3. Helps matchmaking. More active players = faster matchmaking
  4. Boosts multiplayer modes. Modes like The Rec and Park are very dependent on finding teammates to run with. Having a bigger player pool via cross-play = more teammates available to team-up with.
  5. 2K needs to keep up with the trends. It’s 2023 and gamers are now expecting cross-platform as part of any high-grossing and popular videogame, which NBA 2K24 is certainly expected to be.
  6. Can finally settle the score of which console has the better NBA 2K players, PlayStation or Xbox?
  7. The game is desperate for something innovative and new!

Conclusion

Cross-play was a much-needed and much-requested addition, which will be sure to help settle the score of which NBA 2K players are better: PlayStation or Xbox. Here at NBA 2KW we will be tracking all NBA 2K24 news, leading up to the game’s release.

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