Of course, this isn't what happened, and a multitude of NBA 2K14 fans began lobbying complaints at 2K Sports.
Gamers were understandably outraged at the inability to access their saves following the server shutdowns, especially since 2K had initially promised that the saves would be converted to accessible offline versions after the server shutdown took place. Not only that, but using the in-game economy also requires a check-in. This means that the career mode in the game, an experience that can be typically enjoyed entirely offline, still requires an online check-in before players are able to access it.
The problem is exacerbated with the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game because some of the single-player content in NBA 2K14 is tied to the online servers through a "check-in" process. With the servers being shut down, this meant that access to online multiplayer features in NBA 2K14 was made impossible across all versions of the game however, the consequences were even more drastic for those playing the game on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The game itself released in November of 2013, meaning that the servers were only online for 16 months total. On March 31st, 2K Sports shut down online support for NBA 2K14. However, all of this convenience comes at a price, as fans of NBA 2K14 found out last week. Possibly the most crucial benefit of the digital age is online gaming, as players from all around the world are able to connect to each other to interact and play games. We've also seen the rise of indie gaming, as the digital platform allows developers to skip past any need for a publisher, resulting in very unique and innovative experiences.ĭigital gaming has also made the hobby itself more convenient in many ways, especially when it comes to being able to switch between titles on the fly without having to get up and switch discs or cartridges. We've seen games steeply discounted on services like Steam in a manner that would be financially irresponsible to do with physical copies of games being sold by brick and mortar stores. The digital age of gaming has brought about a number of changes to the industry for the better.