Details For ‘NBA Playgrounds’ Update 1.1.0: New Players, Gameplay Changes, And More!

Sabre Interactive, the studio behind the recently released NBA Playgrounds, has just revealed the details for their upcoming update, which is available now on Steam, and it’ll soon become available for all consoles.

Among the changes in the update, which is called 1.1.0, is the ability to play with friends, which was absent from the game upon release. You’ll also be able to compete in ranked, and unranked matches, which, at the moment, isn’t an available option.

With the addition of ranked matches comes punishment for disconnecting during matches. Since the release of NBA Playgrounds, players have been able to save themselves from losses by simply closing their application during online matches. Simply put, there was no punishment for quitting matches. But, thankfully, Sabre listened to their community as they’re now punishing players for disconnecting during matches. They detailed the update by saying “quitters never prosper on the playground.”

The game will also be adding fifteen new players, which will come via five new card packs. The new players include Dennis Rodman, Isaiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Giannis Antetokoumnpo, Kenny Smith, Gary Payton, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Seth Curry, Tiny Archibald, John Starks, Tracy McGrady, and Pete Maravich.

On top of adding all the aforementioned players, Sabre also announced that they’ll be adding multiple versions of Shaquille O’Neal, as he’ll now be available as a member of the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. Up until this point, the game has only had the Los Angeles Lakers version of Shaq.

Shortly after GameSpot revealed the rosters for NBA Playgrounds, fans began asking about Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, and other NBA legends who aren’t currently a part of the game. In response, Sabre said that they are planning on adding a few hundred more players, although they didn’t reveal who those players will be.

There are a few major gameplay changes that are about to come to NBA Playgrounds, all of which are detailed below.

• A challenge mode feature, which allows players to play against their friends.
• A disconnection manager, which punishes players for abandoning matches.
• A shot meter, which will help find perfect timing for all shots and dunks.
• It is now possible to perform a steal while behind an opponent.
• 3-pointers will no longer fill the lottery bar.
• The difficulty of 3-pointers is now increased.

One thing that fans are still hoping for is a team up mode, which will allow players to team up with their friends online. But, the challenge mode is a step in the right direction, and hopefully we’ll get a team up mode at some point in the near future.

Steam update! 15 new players in card packs, Shaq alt jerseys, play friends online, quitter punishment, and more! https://t.co/c53RuZ5xFl pic.twitter.com/SSrcpYrCRd

— NBA 2K Playgrounds (@2KPlaygrounds) May 21, 2017

From the looks of things, it doesn’t look like any of the upcoming DLC for NBA Playgrounds will cost you anything. Sabre has already said that all of the players that will be added in future DLC updates will be absolutely free.

With the exception of adding a team up mode, Sabre has addressed just about every single fan complaint in the game’s very first update. So, on top of making all of the DLC free, they’re listening to their fan base, which is nice to see.

Sabre didn’t say when update 1.1.0 will come to PlayStation 4, X Box One, and Nintendo Switch. All they said was that it’ll be available across all platforms within a couple of weeks. So, those who own the console version of NBA Playgrounds should get the update sooner rather than later.

[Featured Image by Sabre Interactive]