• A month of engaging articles and videos for all RPG fans to enjoy • Flash deals and new discounts appearing every week • Celebration of upcoming releases like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Gamedec
September 1, 2021 – There’s no place like GOG.COM to find and play great role-playing games, and RPG Month is here to prove it! Throughout September, you can expect a constant stream of new RPG releases, exciting flash deals with deep discounts, and a steady supply of RPG-themed sales with discounts up to 90% off! These events will be accompanied by a series of articles and videos from our team that you can follow on a dedicated page fueled by love for RPGs – the most popular genre among both our users and the GOG team.
First, let’s take a look at releases that are happening soon on GOG.COM. On September 2, Pathfinder: Wrath of The Righteous will take us on a journey to the fantasy world of Golarion! Start pre-loading all the necessary game files via the GOG GALAXY client to begin your journey once the game is released.
Other noteworthy upcoming releases include Kitaria Fables, an action-adventure title fused with RPG and farming elements. Also, be on the lookout for The Magister, a card-battler RPG with randomly generated murder-mystery cases. Fans of sci-fi and cyberpunk settings need to make sure to mark September 16 in their calendars. On this day, Gamedec, a highly anticipated isometric RPG, releases, giving you the chance to become a detective who solves crimes inside virtual worlds.
Next, be on the lookout for outstanding Flash Deals that will be part of the event in addition to the traditional weekly sales. The first two deals are already live, giving you the chance to buy Iratus: Lord of the Dead (-75%) and Atom RPG + Supporter Pack (-40%) with exceptionally deep discounts for 48 hours. And don’t worry, more Flash Deals are coming soon!
Also, remember that you have only 48 hours left to grab your copies of four exceptional classics. Syndicate Plus™, Syndicate Wars™, and Ultima™ Underworld 1+2 are free to claim until September 3, 2021, at 5 PM UTC.
Now, pack your travel gear and set off on an adventure with GOG. Visit our RPG Month page and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more details.
REDMOND, WA – September 1, 2021 – Studio Wildcard announced today that the definitive multiplayer dinosaur survival experience, ARK: Survival Evolved, is now available on Stadia, the new generation gaming platform from Google. On Stadia, ARK survivors, will tame and raise dinos, claim land, conquer enemies and create enormous structures seamlessly – moving easily between PC, laptop, TVs and even controller-connected mobile devices. ARK: Survival Evolved is now available for Stadia Pro subscribers to claim and instantly play for free, as well as for purchase within the Stadia store.
All DLC for ARK: Survival Evolved, including the recent expansion pack Genesis: Part 2, is now available on Stadia, allowing users to access the full ARK saga on Day One. With crossplay, survivors can team up with thousands of PC players already online or enjoy a solo Jurassic experience if you prefer to rough it out alone.
ARK: Genesis Part 2 expansion pack is a narrative bridge between the current game and its recently announced sequel, ARK II. It also introduces new voiceover talent to the ARK universe with David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens) playing the villainous Sir Edmund Rockwell, and Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) taking on the in-game robotic AI companion HLN-A/Helena Walker. Tennant and Madden are also part of the extraordinary voice cast of “ARK: The Animated Series,” an original TV series based on the hit franchise coming in 2022.
Since its launch in 2015, ARK: Survival Evolved has sold over 20 million units on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, with more than 40 million players worldwide across all major gaming platforms, spurring spin-off games and amassing a huge following of passionate fans. For the latest updates follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, visit the Website at playark.com and watch us tame and train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD Founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, Studio Wildcard’s mission is to bring AAA quality to ambitious indie titles that are designed for core gamers. The studio’s hit title ARK: Survival Evolved, has sold more than 30 million copies across all platforms. The team emphasizes direct communication with their active community, implements player feedback into its fast, iterative dev cycle, and provides tools to drive user generated content. Studio Wildcard includes distributed developers across multiple continents, as wherever talented developers reside, Wildcard seeks them out! www.studiowildcard.com
Thunderful Publishing & Megagon Industries are shooting to thrill in Season 8 of the Daily Rides challenges for Lonely Mountains: Downhill. In the gnarliest update for the game yet, Daily Rides Season 8: Rock ‘N’ Ride is honouring some of the classic genres in rock music with more content than a Van Halen guitar solo! With fresh outfits, awesome accessories and a new paint job, throw up your hand horns and prepare to mosh in this latest update. Lonely Mountains: Downhill and the Eldfjall Island DLC pack are available now on Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and PC (Steam®).
In Season 8 you’ve got a ticket to ride out the end of the summer with these cool new cosmetic items:
Cause some anarchy in the mountains in the Punk outfit.
Ride down that highway to hell in style with the Hard Rock outfit.
Protect yourself when you enter the sand, man in the Heavy Metal outfit.
Sugar, we’re going down this hill wearing our hearts on our sleeves in the new Emo outfit.
Channel the true spirit of a rocker on the road with one of three new backpacks: the Guitar, Bass Guitar and Keyboard!
When you see a red bike don’t you want it painted black? Introducing Black Lightning, the new paint job that will satiate your desires.
Daily Rides is a cross-platform daily leaderboard competition. Each day a trail will be selected randomly, complete with new obstacles and gameplay modifiers. The 8 week season offers up a new theme with unlockable cosmetic rewards for participants. Do you have what it takes to dominate the season? Get riding and see if you can rise to the top of the leaderboard!
Keep an eye out on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages to stay up-to-date on all the latest straight from the mountain peaks.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill was initially released on October 23rd in 2019. During its first year, the game has been a hit amongst players and critics alike; resulting in more than two million players (2.3 million as of August 2021). The game won awards such as “Best Indie Game” at the German Developer Awards and “Best International Indie Game” at Poznan Game Arena.
For any players wanting more (virtual) outdoor biking action, the Eldfjall Island DLC comes complete with brand-new challenges for each of its four trails. Players will be able to unlock new outfits, paint jobs, and accessories. You can either take your time enjoying the scenery or race down the mountain as quickly as possible to climb up the leaderboards. Additionally, new weather and environmental effects will make the journey even more intense than ever before with thunderstorms and an active volcano!
Lonely Mountains: Downhill and the Eldfjall Island DLC are both available now for Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and PC (Steam®). A demo for Lonely Mountains: Downhill is available on Nintendo Switch™ and Steam®, so if you are on the fence, download it and head down the first trail of the Sierra Rivera mountain.
For more information about Lonely Mountains: Downhill please visit the official website: https://lonelymountains.com/
Effie – Galand’s Edition will arrive on Nintendo Switch on 1st October, 2021.
Madrid, Spain – 1st September, 2021. Meridiem Games is pleased to announce that the upcoming special edition of the 3D action adventure game Effie will be released for Nintendo Switch on 1st October 2021. Developed by Inverge Studios and published by Klabater, Effie – Galand’s Edition will be available as a special boxed edition manufactured and distributed across Europe by Meridem Games.
The special Galand’s Edition of Effie for Nintendo Switch will include a specially designed case, a concept art book with stunning concept drawings from the dev team and a poster of Galand, the bearded hero of the game.
Get ready for a unique 3D action-adventure experience as youdive into the adventure of Galand, a man who has been cursed with premature old age. On this journey, Galand will have to find a way to break the curse, fight powerful enemies, solve challenging puzzles and explore a vast red world of fantasy.
A powerful black magic has taken control of the cities of the region of Oblena. To face the evil ahead, Galand will carry a powerful magic shield that grants him special abilities and allow him to acquire new skills during his journey. It will also allow him to surf at great speed through the vast world of Oblena.
Effie is inspired by classics of the genre like Ratchet and Clank, Legend of Zelda, Rime, Yooka Laylee and many others.
Effie – Galand’s Edition will be launching on 1st October Nintendo Switch as a special boxed version and will be available across European specialist retailers. For more information, please visit www.meridiem-games.com/en
About Meridiem Games
Meridiem Games is an independent video game publisher and distributor for all console platforms. The entire Meridiem Games team is focused on satisfying the demand of players who are fond of physical editions, titles such as Fahrenheit 15Th Anniversary PS4, KUNAI Day One Edition NSW, Daymare: 1998 Black Edition PS4, Pang Adventures Buster Edition PS4 / NSW, etc … released in its physical edition thanks to Meridiem Games. Click here if you want to be updated about us.
About Inverge Studios Inverge Studios is an indie video game development company located in Lanzadera®, Valencia (Spain). Founded in 2016, it has made numerous games for the mobile video game market, obtaining several recognitions. In 2018, the development of the game Effie began with the PlayStation®Talents program. Effie was published in PlayStation®4 on June 4th, 2019 and later on PC platforms (Steam®, Humble Store®), Xbox One® and Nintendo Switch®. Now the company is developing a new game for consoles and PC.
Players will get a new animated camouflage ‘Fires of War’, days of Premium, thousands of credits and 40 epic boosters to celebrate
September 1st, 2021 — It’s been exactly a year since World of Tanks Blitz, the world-renowned cross-platform tank shooter with 170+ million audience, stormed into Nintendo SwitchTM. Over that time, the game has garnered 1.5+ million installs by Nintendo Switch users who in the first year of launch have enjoyed over 78 million battles!
To mark the milestone and to reward the game’s fans on Nintendo Switch for their effort and loyalty, the developers will present each of them with an anniversary gift package including:
A brand-new animated camouflage “Fires of War” for a personal choice of up to 10 tanks
3 days of Premium Account
100,000 credits
10 epic boosters for credits, XP, Crew XP and Free XP.
And to get all this, one only needs to log in to World of Tanks Blitz on Nintendo Switch before September 13 and claim the free package from the Premium Shop.
Newcomers will not be disregarded, too. All new players will be entitled to a special offer on World of Tanks Blitz exclusive DLC bundle ‘M6A2E1 & Resources’ in Nintendo eShop, containing:
The M6A2E1, Tier VII American Heavy Tank
A Garage slot
The animated camouflage “Radioactive Glow”
“Having passed the 1-year milestone on our Switch journey, we wanted to reward the game’s fans on Nintendo Switch with memorable presents,” states Natalia Pershyts, Publishing Product Director, World of Tanks Blitz.
“The 1.5 million installs on the platform over this period makes us believe that our product managed to click with a new audience, and we are set to keep delivering high-quality gameplay to both new and existing players.”
To get more information about the anniversary festivities in World of Tanks Blitz, please visit World of Tanks Blitz.
About World of Tanks Blitz
World of Tanks Blitz is a cross-platform, free-to-play, team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Available on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows 10, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, the game lets players control over 370 legendary armored vehicles and boasts more than 170 million downloads worldwide.
World of Tanks Blitz is a fun, lighthearted approach to the genre that bends the rules of reality, putting an engaging twist on tank combat. Deep mechanics and realistic physical models across both authentic and alternative historical settings combine to create fluid gameplay and tactical diversity.
MS-1 is Wargaming’s premier mobile development studio behind World of Tanks Blitz, a renowned cross-platform shooter, and World of Warships Blitz, a mobile naval combat game, with both products boasting over 170 million downloads.
MS-1 is a multisite studio with offices in Vilnius, Minsk, Moscow, Shanghai, and Berlin. Its international, multicultural team currently comprises more than 360 professionals of various backgrounds and experience across all disciplines, including development, publishing, and operations. This cultural diversity helps deliver games that click with different audiences around the globe.
The recently opened office in Vilnius is housing the continuously growing team developing two unannounced action/shooter projects, including a new IP.
The story-focused top-down shooter is now available on the PlayStation Store
Sydney, Australia, 1 September 2021 – Koch Media, a leading global publishing partner, and developer Weird Beluga, are proud to announce that the top-down shooter Clid The Snail has officially been released and is now available on the PlayStation Store.
Watch the Clid The Snail Launch Trailer:
Clid The Snail is an innovative top-down shooter with a narrative focus and a methodical, mindful approach to combat. Players will join the troublesome snail Clid and help him and a peculiar gang of outcasts defeat the slug plague that is ravaging their world.
In addition to a delightfully grim environment ready to be explored, players will experience a vast array of weapons, mechanics, and puzzles that will encourage creative and strategic gunplay.
Clid The Snail is available now exclusively on the PlayStation Store.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
Title: Clid The Snail
Platform: PlayStation 4 Genre: Top-down Shooter Developer: Weird Beluga Co-Publisher: Koch Media
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About Weird Beluga Studio
Weird Beluga Studio S.L. is a video game developer company from Madrid, founded in 2019 by 5 friends from college. WBS is developing its first game, winner of the VI edition of PlayStation Talents Awards: Clid The Snail. Weird Beluga’s twitter: https://twitter.com/BelugaWeird
About PS Talents
Launched in 2015 by Sony Interactive Entertainment Spain, the PlayStation® Talents program aims to unify all the initiatives put together by the local Spanish branch in order to develop the Spanish creativity. The goal of the PlayStation Talents program is to support the local industry as well as to create video games fully developed in Spain to be sold around the globe. The PlayStation Talents program is formed by:
• Two educational areas: PlayStation® Future Talents and PlayStation® First
• The PlayStation® Awards, aimed at independent studios.
• PlayStation® Games Camp, a business incubator that is present in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Málaga, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• PlayStation® Alliances, where different projects with well-known local studios that have been sold overseas come together.
The Koch Media Group is a global developer, publisher and distributor of video games, VR games, gaming hardware and merchandise.
The group’s publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, America, Australia and Asia. Koch Media has more than 25 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become a leading global publishing partner. The Koch Media Group runs a multi-label strategy with fully owned publishing units such as Deep Silver, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Construct towering skyscrapers in the last DLC of Anno 1800’s Season 3
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – September 1, 2021 – Today, Ubisoft announced that The High Life, Anno 1800’s final DLC of its third season, is now available. In The High Life, players can reach new heights and build soaring skyscrapers alongside new buildings, production facilities, a brand new monument, and more.
A thriving population needs plenty of residences – and there is no better way to maximize space in your city than to build upwards with skyscrapers. The High Life’s skyscrapers are available for the Investor and Engineers citizens and can be upgraded up to five levels (or three for Engineers), with each level increasing the height, maximum population, and number of resident needs.
Players can build upwards for the first time in Anno 1800, taking advantage of a modular system that offers many combinations to customise their buildings. The High Life also introduces an enormous new monument, The Skyline Tower, inspired by some of the world’s most famous skyscrapers. More details about skyscrapers can be found in a dedicated blogpost.
While building and upgrading skyscrapers, players need to keep the Panorama Effect in mind, which gives a boost to the building’s maximum number of residents, reduces maintenance costs, and provides bonus residents – as long as the skyscraper in question is not surrounded by other skyscrapers of the same height or higher.
In addition, a free Game Update will be available alongside The High Life focusing on Quality-of-Life improvements, a new high score screen and a multi-downgrade tool to plan the cities more effectively.
Finally, the Anno 1800 base game will be free to play beginning today through 6am AEST on September 7. Anno 1800 is available on Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games store for Windows PC. The High Life can be purchased for AU$13.95 or as part of the Season 3 Pass for AU$29.95.
For more information about Anno, please visit: annogame.com
The teams at Ubisoft Mainz engineer some of Ubisoft’s biggest blockbusters. Operating from a historic city in the center of Germany, the studio develops games pushing the limits of the genre like the acclaimed Anno 1800 and lends decades of expertise to AAA co-development projects like the Esports phenomenon Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and the upcoming blockbuster Beyond Good and Evil 2. Ubisoft Mainz is part of the Ubisoft Blue Byte studio network. More information at mainz.ubisoft.com.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Just Dance, Watch Dogs, and Tom Clancy’s video game series including Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and The Division. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,241 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Double RDO$ on Wrongful Property, A Lit Fuse, and More – Earn Bonuses and Rewards for Dastardly Deeds This Week in Red Dead Online
Law-abiding citizens need not apply. Ruthless criminals who pay a visit to Sean Macguire, Anthony Foreman, Joe, or James Langton, and complete certain Crime missions this week — including Stagecoach Stickup, A Lit Fuse, Wrongful Property, and Back Pay — will rake in 2X RDO$ in return for their dastardly deeds.
Completing any of the Crimes listed above will also get you an Offer for half off select Boots, while all Crimes and Opportunities will earn you double the usual Ability Card XP between now and September 6. To help gang activities along, all Persistent Posse setup fees are waived for the next seven days.
Free Ammo All Red Dead Online players will receive 100 Express Repeater, Rifle, and Revolver Ammo. Seasoned Players ranked 100 and up will receive a free Treasure Map this week to help them comb the landscape for plunder and bounty. All rewards will be delivered within 72 hours of log in.
Quick Draw Club No. 2 Last Chance This week, work your way through the last of all 25 Ranks of the Quick Draw Club No. 2 to unlock The Rowberrow Outfit. You only have this week to do so — before the next installment of The Quick Draw Club arrives on September 7.
Discounts
Once you’ve washed the dirt and blood off your hands, hit the stores and spend some hard-earned cash with local businesses, from Stables to Barbers. Read on below for the list of discounts and sales offered.
30% off all Work Horses
50% off all Saddles
40% off all Tents
30% off all Single Bandoliers
50% off all Beards and Accessories at the Barber
30% off all Gloves, Chaps, and Half Chaps
Prime Gaming Benefits
Red Dead Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account to Prime Gaming before September 28 will get a Reward for a free Vitalism Studies Pamphlet and an Offer for half off an Established or Distinguished Naturalist Role Item of their choice.
New Paid Neon Pack Also Launches Today, Adding Stylish Swords and Gloves
CALABASAS, Calif. — August 31, 2021 — Co-Publishers 505 Games and All In! Games, alongside developers and partners, One More Level, 3D Realms, and Slipgate Ironworks™, today launches two new free game modes and a paid cosmetic Neon Pack for Ghostrunner, the first-person cyberpunk parkour action game, across PC and consoles. When the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions debut on Tuesday, September 28, each will contain the new Wave Mode and Neon Pack, plus all previous free DLC. The Neon Pack will come to Nintendo Switch in the coming weeks.
Clash against wave after wave of brutal, one-hit kill enemies in the new roguelike-inspired Wave Mode, an unpredictable gauntlet against the ferocious foes of Dharma Tower. Procedurally generated enemy types and formations, hero upgrades between rounds, and more turn Wave Mode into a new game within the game. Survive 20 rounds to unlock an exclusive sword.
Those who want to witness Ghostrunner’s story and enjoy the cyberpunk sights of Dharma Tower without fear of instant death will love Assist Mode. Dial back the intensity for a more accessible revenge story with three toggleable options: shorter cooldowns for more frequent ability use, slower gameplay to help with reaction times, and an extra life.
Cut down the Keymaster’s minions in style with the $4.99 / £4.69 / €4.99 Neon Pack, offering four sets of gloves and katanas: Neon Night, Afterglow, Luminescence, and Glint. Each drips with the vibrant colors reminiscent of cyberpunk and synthwave.
Today also marks the launch of Jack’s Bundle ($7.99 / £5.99 / €7.99 on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch). This collection includes all cosmetics launched in Ghostrunner up until now, from the new Neon Pack to the previous Winter and Metal Ox Packs.
Next week on September 7, the Summer Bundle ($12.99 / £9.99 / €12.99 on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG) launches with all cosmetics in addition to Daniel Deluxe’s original Ghostrunner soundtrack and a digital artbook. The soundtrack and digital artbook are also available separately in the Art Bundle, ($7.99 / £5.99 / €7.99 on Steam, Epic, and GOG).
The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 version of Ghostrunner is published by H2 Interactive in Asia. The Neon Pack and Wave Mode will be available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Asia later in September.
For more information about Ghostrunner, including full language support, visit the official website.
Players can experience all-new gameplay enhancements across defence, dribbling, shooting, finishing, and more
2K has revealed an in-depth look at the gameplay updates for NBA® 2K22, detailing an ambitious feature list that includes faster-paced gameplay, tighter and more responsive movement, more skill-based offense, changes to the player builder, and much more.
“From the outset, our goal was to create fun and competitive gameplay that ensures NBA 2K22 delivers one of the most authentic sports gaming experiences out there,” said Mike Wang, Gameplay Director at Visual Concepts. “This year, working with our community, we utilized direct feedback to address some of the key changes they are looking for and deliver a number of new gameplay enhancements that will further elevate the experience in this year’s game.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcUzwnA569M
NBA 2K22 introduces a variety of new gameplay innovations, including:
defence & Defensive AI: Completely rebuilt shot contest and blocking systems, a significant update to the fundamental defensive rotations, and much more;
Dribbling: Players will experience a unique feel and rhythm when sizing up, significantly faster overall pace and much tighter control in navigating the court, and a ton of other new combos, cancels, and move chains;
Post Play: Upgrades highlight loads of new content, including new movement and a new arsenal of back-to-basket moves;
Shooting: There’s a new shot meter that will dynamically expand when players take high-quality shots with good shooters but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. NBA 2K22 puts more emphasis on Shot IQ, meaning the teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots;
Finishing: Along with a focus on creating more of a skill gap for finishing at the rim, players can also completely customize their dunk repertoire with an all-new Dunk Style Creator;
Builds, Badges & Takeover: Adjustments to create more balanced builds, and an increase of the total badge count to 80, offer many ways for players to impact the game. Additionally, NBA 2K22 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles introduces Takeover Perks*, which you can unlock to strengthen your existing Takeover abilities.
For full details on the latest gameplay innovations coming to NBA 2K22, check out the latest Courtside Report below.
NBA 2K22 Gameplay
NBA 2K22 is better than ever. No matter which version you go with this year, it’ll be a brand new experience. Check out the latest Gameplay updates for 2K22.
It’s that time of year when we get to unpack all of the exciting gameplay enhancements and new features coming your way with NBA 2K22! The first year developing on new consoles always brings new challenges, such as… major code rewrites, new technical hurdles, and systems getting rebuilt. But with all that behind us, the gameplay team was laser-focused on one goal with NBA 2K22: making a GREAT gameplay experience!
We had an ambitious feature list that we wanted to tackle this year: faster-paced gameplay, tighter and more responsive movement, more skill-based offense, and big changes to the player builder. All of which we’re going to tackle in today’s blog. We also made a strong push to ensure that we were delivering the same quality gameplay upgrades on both current and new gen systems. So no matter which version you choose to go with this year, you’re going to get a brand new experience. But the one major focus for the team that we wanted to be priority one, was DEFENCE. So let’s get started.
DEFENCE
The primary goal for defence was to give gamers the tools to be able to really change the outcome of the game on the floor and at the rim. If you were a great perimeter defender who anticipated well, we wanted you to be able to clamp up the dribbler and force a pass. If you were a rim protector, we wanted to give you the ability to send away weak shot attempts at will. Our engineers were determined to achieve those goals, and we’re extremely happy with the results!
The shot contest and blocking systems were completely rebuilt, leading to several new snatch blocks and volleyball spikes that never happened before. This also paved the way to reward basketball IQ much more in our shooting systems. The shot contest rewrite removed the “ghost contests” that many complained about, and this year being out of position or not getting a hand in the shooter’s face will lead to some easy buckets for the offense. On the other hand, properly crowding shooters with good contests will result in plenty of bricks and airballs, as they should.
For floor defenders, body-up rides and bumps feel much more rewarding as the motion team has dramatically improved the feel of on-ball defensive movement. Unwanted “bump steals” and snatchy body ups have been reduced in favour of giving both the ball handler and on-ball defender more freedom of movement and respected input. Shifts, launches, stops, and cuts all feel much tighter, and with even more new gen foot-planting improvements, you’ll see a lot less sliding on both ends of the floor.
Steals also received an upgrade with a greater emphasis placed on the steal attribute. Low-rated stealers get sluggish animations that punish them when they reach, while high-rated stealers (with good timing and opportunity) will be able to pick pockets at a much higher rate. Also be prepared to see more layup/dunk strips from high-rated stealers when slashers try to force their way to the rim in a crowd.
Great defence may not always be featured in real-life highlights, but all of these improvements are what I’m most excited about for NBA 2K22. They lead to much more balanced on-court battles and make the game much more fun to play!
DEFENSIVE AI
Defence was also a major focus on the new gen AI front. Da Czar (our resident X’s and O’s expert) and the AI team wanted to create a strong foundation to build on for many years to come. A lot of legacy issues were addressed through complete and thorough rewrites of almost all of the major defensive systems in the game. New on-ball defensive positioning logic gives defenders more consistency in their positioning regardless of their distance from the basket. This enables a much less jittery defender who knows where they want to be in all phases of defensive positioning. This along with motion improvements allowed us to tighten up general defensive positioning, which means gamers will feel more defensive pressure on-ball than was present in last year’s game.
Brand new hedge defender logic and behaviours give the catch hedge defender a specific focus for how they react to the ball handler. In the past, the hedge defender’s primary focus was their man which led to the AI actively abandoning the ball handler. This cascaded into several issues. The ball handler would have an open lane, which in turn would force help to come from the strong side, leaving easy, open jumpers in pick and roll situations. This year, our hedge defender can focus on the ball and play two offensive players intelligently covering the deepest threat. Our drive help was also built from scratch this year to give our AI help defenders more intelligence in their calculations for when to send help on the drive. We also increased help defender logic, controlling movement speeds requested in help situations. The AI will no longer send a defender to double a standing offensive player thirty feet from the basket when a user requests drive help in the defensive settings.
This year marks the most significant update to the fundamental defensive rotations we have ever done! We now have the ability to have both single and double rotations to take away the first or second passing lanes once help defence is triggered. This creates more opportunities for a second or third pass to find the open shooter. We also gave our AI the ability to anticipate certain play actions like floppy or down-screen actions. When the AI properly detects these situations the off-ball defender can now go into what we call, chase behaviour. This helps AI defenders take the proper route around screens to put themselves in a better position to navigate and avoid screen contact. This helps with the overall flow and spacing on both sides of the ball. Lastly, we also added a brand new cutter help defensive system. This system helps to fill in defensive gaps and sends help anytime a player has a clear path to the rim. This system can pick up that cutter and send a rotation defender to cover the helper when possible.
The combination of all these systems in NBA 2K22 makes it our most significant defensive effort to date. One which we fully intend to build on for years to come.
DRIBBLING
Offense will obviously never be neglected in any 2K basketball game, and I’m thrilled with our offering for NBA 2K22! Dribbling is something I personally spend a lot of time working on and am extremely passionate about and can say, without a doubt, that playmakers are going to have a field day with this year’s game! The 1-to-1 Basic Size-ups have been removed and replaced by 1-to-1 Signature Size-ups. But what exactly does that mean? Flicking the Pro Stick in various directions last year gave you fairly generic-looking size-ups, while holding up on the stick gave you a nice-looking mo-capped dribble series. This year, the goal was to marry the two together and give each player a unique feel and rhythm when sizing up, while also giving the gamer complete control over how the series plays out. KD’s big hesi crosses, Harden’s around/thru the leg moves, Steph’s quick machine gun crosses, and Luka’s methodical rock back and forth dribbles are all now under the gamer’s direct control rather than a preset movie. The speed stick that we introduced on new gen last year also returns. So flicking the stick quickly results in quicker dribbles while slower flicks give you more rhythmic ones. There are around 50 unique signature size-up packages to choose from, each with its own distinct advantages. Make sure to give all of them a try to find out which one best suits the rhythm of how you like to play. Additionally, you can equip one of 32 unique dribble sequences (which I’ve dubbed Signature Combos) as well. These are quick, three or four- second dribble combos that you can trigger by simply holding Sprint and flicking the Pro Stick up. Mixing the Signature Size-ups and Signature Combos together gives you a limitless variety for how you want to break down your defender.
There are a ton of other new combos, cancels, and move chains you can pull off this year… drag dribble hesis and spin stepbacks being my personal favourites. But I’m not going to go into detail on each of these right now to save you from reading a novel on dribbling. In a nutshell, quickly sending multiple Pro Stick commands and/or attempting to move in various directions with the left stick just after performing a dribble move will open up a world of new combos that will stifle even the best defenders!
When it comes to dribble movement, you’ll notice a significantly faster overall pace and much tighter control over how you navigate the court. Each of the 28 unique dribble styles received a nice refresh with new content that accentuates the signature style of its given player. We’ve also added four new WNBA dribble styles: Seimone Augustus, Chelsea Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, and Gabby Williams. Another nice upgrade to dribble movement is height compensation. Last year, taller players could outpace shorter players with the same Speed with Ball rating. This has been resolved for NBA 2K22 to ensure that smaller players are no longer lagging behind. And everything that I just mentioned about dribbling, from the movement to the new moves and combos, are going to be identical between current and new gen! So if you’re a player who plans to play both, you won’t have to learn two different systems like last year.
POST PLAY
Now a little treat for the bigs. We spent a lot of time upgrading post play with loads of new content, including new movement and a new arsenal of back-to-basket moves. Similar to face-up ball handling, many of the new moves are cancels and aborts. For example, start a post spin by twirling the Pro Stick, then immediately move the left stick in the opposite direction for a spin back. There are also new RT/R2 fakes that keep you engaged in post allowing you to chain multiple fakes together without disengaging. You can also take advantage of new disengage faceup moves, controls to help you avoid steals, new hop shots/fades/hooks, and a better pull chair mechanic. There’s a lot of great combinations and fakes once you’ve mastered the controls.
SHOOTING
Shooting has undergone many changes for NBA 2K22. There’s a new shot meter with a dynamically resizing make window. This window will expand when you’re taking high-quality shots with good shooters, but will shrink when heavily contested, shooting with a low-rated shooter, or fatigued. The major emphasis for shooting success this year is Shot IQ. The teams that work for open looks and take smart shots are going to see much more success than the teams that force up bad shots. It sounds elementary, but it’s something we really keyed on this year as taking quality shots was more or less overshadowed by ratings and stick skills. Shot timing still plays a major role in the skill gap (and yes, you still get an additional boost for turning the meter off), but will only take you so far if you’re taking bad shots. We’ve heavily focus-group tested the new shooting mechanics with players of all skill levels and believe this is the best that shooting has ever felt in NBA 2K.
FINISHING
We also made a strong push to get more of a skill gap into finishing at the rim. As beautiful as our motion-captured dunks are, it was a shame that once you saw one fire off, you basically knew it was an automatic two points. With the revamped blocking system, we’re now giving rim protectors more tools to make great stops at the rim. On top of that, on new gen, we’ve added timing meters to both alley-oop and aggressive skill dunk attempts. When an alley pass is in the air, you’ll need to press the Shot Button at just the right time to finish off the oop. If you’re too early or late, you’ll either smoke the finish or miss the catch completely. (side note: you can force bounce pass alleys this year!) And on the dunking side, holding Sprint and pulling straight down on the Pro Stick will trigger the aggressive skill dunks. When you have a defender standing underneath the rim, using the aggressive skill dunk feature will let you basically force a dunk attempt on-demand as long as you have a strong dunker and you have a bit of a runway. It’s tough to hit the perfect timing for these high-risk, high-reward plays, but it’s so gratifying when you can pull it off.
We’ve also added dunk celebrations into the game this year that work very similarly to the green release jump shot landing celebrations. So not only can you throw down some nasty dunks in traffic with the new feature, you can now also equip your signature dance to show off a little bit afterward.
And the last thing I wanted to mention about dunks, in NBA 2K22, you’ll now have the ability to completely customize your dunk repertoire with an all-new Dunk Style Creator! This is a great feature that allows you to have detailed control over the exact style of your dunk packages and lets you equip more dunks on your player than ever before!
BUILDS, BADGES, and TAKEOVER
Player builds is another hot topic when it comes to 2K. In NBA 2K21, we debuted a brand new player builder on new gen that allowed you to set up your attribute caps however you saw fit. As with any new big developments, there are always growing pains. We’ve made a lot of adjustments to the system to create more balanced builds and give incentives for creating all different types of players. Smalls will see distinct advantages over bigs and vice versa. So expect to see a lot more variety when you hit the virtual streets of the City this year.
The amount of badge points at your disposal has been increased significantly giving you more options for how you badge out your MyPLAYER. The new detailed builder screen makes it much easier for gamers to identify the available badges, the cost at each tier, and the attribute thresholds required to hit each tier. You can also see how those numbers change in real-time as you adjust your attribute caps. Another cool addition is the ability to create Badge Loadouts! These allow you to quickly and easily toggle what badges you have equipped based on how you’re playing on a given day or even based on the matchups stepping up to the Got Next spots. Here are the new badges you can play around with in NBA 2K22:
Fast Twitch – Ability to get off the floor quicker for standing layups and dunks
Grace Under Pressure – Ability to convert standing layups more effectively
Limitless Takeoff – Ability to soar from further away on driving dunk attempts
Mouse in the House – Ability for bigs to finish over shorter players more efficiently
Unstrippable – Ability to secure the ball better when gathering for a layup/dunk in traffic
Chef – Ability to knock down Steph-like off-dribble deep 3’s
Limitless Spot-up – Ability to hit logo-range 3’s off a catch and shoot
Lucky #7 – Boosts your ability to score when shooting early in the clock
Mismatch Expert – Ability to successfully shoot over taller defenders on a switch
Glue Hands – Ability to make difficult catches and quicker branch out to a shot or dribble
Hyperdrive – Boosts the speed and effectiveness of moving dribble moves
Quick Chain – Boosts the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
Post Playmaker – Boosts the effectiveness of both shots and moves when playing in the post
Triple Threat Juke – Increases the effectiveness of triple threat fakes, jabs, and go moves
Ball Stripper – Ability to strip layup and dunk attempts more effectively
Hustler – Ability to get to those scrappy 50/50 balls quicker than opponents
Menace – Significantly drops the offensive ratings of opponents when you smother them
That brings our total badge count to 80 with a number of existing badges also getting some nice upgrades. There’s a lot to choose from and many ways to impact the game, so the Loadout feature is a welcomed addition. Last, but certainly not least, we’ve ported ALL 80 badges to current gen, a massive upgrade for our fan base!
One final MyPLAYER upgrade I wanted to call out is a new gen exclusive called Takeover Perks. These are modifiers that you can unlock and equip to strengthen your existing Takeover abilities! I’m not going to list them out because we want them to be a surprise, but it’s a great upgrade to the Takeover system that adds a layer of depth and strategy to how you compete online.
CLOSING REMARKS
Those are the main features I wanted to highlight for this year’s Gameplay Courtside report. I feel like I’ve been typing too long already, but there’s so much more that goes into the nuts and bolts of 2K’s gameplay and this blog barely scrapes the surface. Huge shout out to each of the gameplay devs who work tirelessly each year to build the best sports gaming experience on the market! From the outset, our goal was to create fun and competitive gameplay and I think you all will agree when you get your hands on the sticks that the team has delivered that in spades. The community’s passion for 2K is what drives us, and many of our features come directly from you. In fact, we had the wonderful opportunity to bring in several respected community members and 2K Pros to “beta test” gameplay a few weeks ago. Their feedback was incredibly valuable to us and allowed us to put the finishing touches on gameplay to ensure the best possible launch experience! Big thanks to those guys and we look forward to hosting more of those types of events in the future!
So, have a great time with NBA 2K22, and we can’t wait to read your feedback, watch your videos/streams, and continue to work with you to mould the best basketball game on the planet!
NBA 2K22 is currently scheduled for release on September 10 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. For more information, please visit the NBA 2K22 official website.
Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K22 is rated PG by the OFLC.
Visual Concepts is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
*Gameplay feature available only in the new-generation version of NBA 2K22. PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S required to play the new-generation version of NBA 2K22.
