Did NBA 2K Plan to Support User-Created Content (Mods)? - Medevenx05's Blog

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Medevenx05's Blog

Did NBA 2K Plan to Support User-Created Content (Mods)?

Posted on February 6, 2016 at 12:30 AM.

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I checked the gooey_nba_dlc.iff file for NBA 2K14 (PC) and this is the first texture I found. You can also check this file by opening it with the NBA 2KX ModTool, NBA 2K 3DM tool or RED MC. Remember, "dlc" means "downloadable content". NBA 2K9 was the first NBA 2K game to be released for the PC. The graphics look like NBA 2K10 with images of players from the bottom to top: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, and what seems to be a basketball player not belonging to the NBA.

Now, look at the player in the top screenshot, it definitely looks like Rukawa, and it does seem like him because ouf the accessory (black arm band below the left elbow) and a white jersey (most probably the white Shohoku jersey) and overall likeness. Sometimes, 2K doesn't update some of the files anymore as we can see from multiple textures when we check out the files. Could this file have existed even back in NBA 2K10 or 2K11 when 2K developers realized people had already started developing mods for NBA 2K9 and 2K10? Does this mean that NBA 2K was secretly developing Slam Dunk rosters for NBA 2K10 2K11? Or did it mean that modifiable rosters were supposed to be downloadable content? It looks as if what the Kobe Bryant and Yao Ming screenshots are implying is that user-created rosters would have also been available to download as downloadable content. This may have been discontinued due to licensing issues (similar to how some NBA Legends have appeared and have been removed from the game such as Chris Webber or the 1992 Dream Team with Charles Barkley). It could also be possible that the user-created rosters were made unavailable due to the upcoming rise of the current sensation in NBA 2K's MyTeam mode which heavily features use of retro players and special edition players. Although it wasn't until NBA 2K11 that retro teams officially made it to the NBA 2K games as only NBA Legends where included in former NBA 2K installments. Copyright laws may have also forbidden NBA 2K from allowing downloadable content as anime mods to be officially added to the game as they simply do not have the rights to Shonen Slam Dunk's characters and other assets.

Who knows? It's certainly crazy to think there could have been anime teams and user-created content in official versions of NBA 2K. It could possibly have opened up to developing mods for the console version of NBA 2K at the time (PlayStation 3 and XBox 360). While it is clear that NBA 2K tried to push for allowing user-created content in its franchise, it looks like they were unable to do so. It seems as if 2K could not acknowledge mod development for the game publicly, however is most certainly aware of it.

Modding has existed for many years in other games with most games nowadays publicly accepting it. While it seems like 2K legally can't allow this or at least state publicly that they fully acknowledge it, it doesn't mean that modding never came to mind in the NBA 2K headquarters.