When it comes to sports video games, the NBA 2K franchise is one of the most recognizable. Since the series' inception in 2000, 2K Games has continuously produced the world's highest-quality basketball games. The NBA Live series provided some fierce competition for a time. They were, however, unable to stay up with 2K Games' creativity and fan service. Although, judging by the state of the NBA 2K franchise in recent years, this appears to be changing.

NBA 2K fans are growing weary with the franchise. Since the video game series' heyday in 2011 and 2012, fan criticism has continued to intensify year after year. Around 2010, the series enjoyed widespread popularity among basketball lovers. That is no longer the case a decade later, and NBA 2k21 appears to be the worst yet.

If 2K Games does not immediately reverse course, the franchise that was once hailed as the greatest basketball game series of all time may soon become extinct. Loyal fans who have supported NBA 2K for decades are suddenly abandoning the franchise, and basketball aficionados who may have purchased one of the games have walked away after reading the negative reviews. What is it that 2K is doing incorrectly to drive away all of these gamers? There are far too many microtransactions and insufficient game-to-game innovation.

Microtransactions are the bane of every gamer's existence. 2K has gradually increased the number of microtransactions in their games over the last few years. Now, if gamers want their MyPlayer to be any decent online in NBA 2K21, it's practically pay-to-win. All of the coolest outfits, in-game moves, and other items are purchased separately by gamers. Alternatively, such players can grind for 100+ hours, yet even then, they will always fall behind those who pay.

Each new 2K game has followed the same, old, cookie-cutter format for several years. There is no creativity, nothing unique about each new game that makes it a must-buy. If they continued to update the lineups of previous NBA 2K games, there would be no reason to purchase the latest versions, given they play nearly identically. At this point, it almost appears as though 2K Games merely slaps a new coat of paint on an old game and passes it off as something new each year.

One of the most serious issues with NBA 2K21 is its lack of competition. NBA fans desire to participate in an NBA game. If 2K is the only option, fans will purchase it regardless of the microtransactions or lack of creativity. Unless those people boycott 2K games, they will continue to decline until they are essentially the same game year after year with the most unscrupulous pay-to-win schemes imaginable. Regrettably, that much-needed competition does not appear to be on the horizon anytime soon.