We take an in-depth look at everything NBA 2K21 has to offer in one step closer to the inclusion of the WNBA and women’s basketball.
As happened at the beginning of this generation, one of the franchises that promises to offer us the first glimpses of what the new hardware in the form of PS5 and Xbox Series X is capable of is NBA 2K. Having already seen the technical potential on the court, just two days ago Visual Concepts showed us one of the great revolutions of the NBA 2K21 version for the next gen, and it is the inclusion of the WNBA beyond what we have been able to enjoy. Until now. In the installment of 2019 we could already play quick game with teams such as LA Sparks, Washington Mystics or the current champions, the Seattle Storm, adding the possibility of playing full seasons in NBA 2K21 for the current generation. However, when the new consoles arrive, virtual women’s basketball will receive a major new boost with all the new features recently introduced.
The league begins in the offices
The first novelty comes for lovers of the My GM mode, and that is that not only will we be able to play several seasons, but it will be possible to manage any of its twelve franchises, and even change the WNBA rules, in a similar way to how it happens in My League. This is how the most obvious aspects of this management such as the Draft or free agency are present, but also others more strange to the general public such as the collective agreement, especially important, as we have learned in recent months, with all the players claiming the recognition they deserve and a salary commensurate with their status.
Basically, we will have at our disposal practically all the options that the well-known My GM mode already has, with even a non-narrative section, but it does make decisions that makes it a kind of “sports RPG”. We know the depth of this manager mode, that although below My Player or My Team, it continues to enjoy a certain popularity among all NBA 2K21 players.
However, the biggest revolution in terms of the inclusion of women’s basketball in NBA 2K21 will come from The W, a kind of My Career mode specifically designed for WNBA players.
Icon of a constantly growing league
As in its male version, the objective of The W is to offer more than just a series of matches with which to gain experience and improve our player. It also wants to offer a glimpse of what life is like off the courts, and in this sense women have been exclusive protagonists for many months in which the NBA was not active, taking an active part in movements such as Black Lives Matter. In this way, the player’s progression will be based on five pillars that go far beyond her basketball quality: Player Progression, Player Popularity, WNBA Popularity, Player Wealth, and Partner Chemistry.
Thus, on rest days it will be possible to participate in activities other than the ball (or not) that will make us progress in each of these aspects, and thus decisions will have to be made regarding increasing the popularity of the league, improving our attributes, make pineapple around the team, etc …
It is especially worth dwelling on WNBA Popularity, as the other four sections do not need further explanation. It is an open secret that one of the goals of the league this past summer in which it became the only competition to be played in the United States has been to reach even more audiences. It is something that should not be overlooked because obviously, the greater the popularity of the league there will be more televised games, with which the options to gain followers and better contracts grow exponentially.
The activities off the court will influence in a way according to one of the five categories chosen after observing the behavior of the WNBA players: Coach –the most focused on basketball-, Entrepreneur, Global Icon, Fashion Icon and Influencer .
However, and how could it be otherwise, what we do on the court matters, and a lot. Obviously, the first step is the creation of the player, and then go on to choose one among a lot of archetypes: passing and penetrating forward, bidirectional organizer, triple base and defense, offensive threat, Nullifier, and a long etcetera until reaching the not inconsiderable number of 18 different archetypes. To grow in each of them it will be necessary to achieve a type of experience known as My Points, which suggests that in this mode the unpopular VC will be dispensed with.
We will also have to choose between two different Domain, being able to activate both at the same time if we have patience until both bars are completed.
Fortunately, there will be more ways to compete beyond the official WNBA matches, and this is where The W Online comes in. In this game mode, 3v3 matches are played together with five other players with the usual rules of this type of match in El Parque, this time moving the action to a field specially designed for this modality and of overwhelming graphic beauty. Thanks to The W Online we will be able to unlock numerous items such as outfits or animations, in addition to My Points to make our player progress.
Definitely, and as expected, NBA 2K21’s commitment to the WNBA is resounding in its version for the next generation, not being able to blame since a franchise that has fallen into decline as NBA Live was had done before. There is still room for improvement, but the movement is demonstrated by walking and 2K Games and Visual Concepts have already taken the first step.
NBA 2K21 will be available from the first day of launch of the new consoles: November 12 for Xbox Series, November 19 for PS5.
