NBA 2K21 will be available for free in the Epic Games store until next Thursday. For the first time, what 2K Games had cited as an argument for the price increase of the sports game is true: Now “the price represents the value of the offer in a fair way”.
The game can can be obtained free of charge during the promotional period via the Epic shop page, if a user account is available at the shop or has been created. For the first time, the offer appears sensible for free: Like its predecessors, which were sarcastically described as a casino with sports gaming side tasks, the current NBA is heavily monetized and, thanks to its microtransactions, also portable with a free-to-play model.
This explains the “predominantly negative” reviews on Steam over the course of the year. The tendency was intensified by the publisher's attempt to display commercials that could not be canceled during the loading breaks in a full price game (!). The episode effectively underscores the strategy 2K is pursuing, what buyers can expect and how the title's reputation comes about. Free seems expensive enough for that.
The editorial staff thanks ComputerBase reader “Lord B.” for pointing this out!