NBA 2K14: My GM Virtual Currency Rewards Slashed by 40%

Feature Article

Submitted on: 03/21/2014 by Jayson Young

Earlier this week, NBA 2K14 quietly installed a server-side update that has reduced the amount of virtual currency PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gamers receive for completing owner goals in the My GM game mode.

All season milestones which had previously awarded 200 VC and 250 VC, such as selling out 32 home games or winning the NBA championship, will now yield just 100 VC once they are completed.

It is unclear whether this reduction is a temporary, unintentional bug or a permanent "fix" designed to curb the productivity of virtual currency "farmers."

Forum speculation supports that second theory, as developer Visual Concepts is undoubtedly aware that NBA 2K14's most popular user-created roster file, "Youtube: Doogshere," currently has 356,488 downloads on the PlayStation 4 -- almost twice the amount of the next most popular roster, "Official w/Transactions 3/19" (186,601 downloads).

The latter file's creator, iTofutastic, has been offering up-to-date transactions alongside the 2013-2014 NBA season. His foil, TheDoooogs, has simply placed Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Julius Erving, Karl Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Russell onto the Oklahoma City Thunder, while tossing every other team's superstar players into free agency.

Prior to this week, simulating a season with the "Youtube: Doogshere" roster would typically produce 1,850 VC:

200 VC -- Sell out 32 home games.
200 VC -- Finish first in division.
200 VC -- Finish first in conference.
200 VC -- Reach top 10 in attendance.
200 VC -- Don't let team chemistry drop below 67%.
100 VC -- Sweep your playoff opponent.
200 VC -- Reach the conference finals.
250 VC -- Win the NBA championship.
100 VC -- Release or trade Karl Malone.
100 VC -- Hire an assistant GM with the recruiter badge.
100 VC -- Hire an assistant coach with a "B" or better defense rating.

Now that all goals give 100 VC, regardless of their difficulty, a typical season's earnings have dropped to just 1,100 VC.

This week's My GM changes are not the first time that Visual Concepts has adjusted NBA 2K14's in-game reward systems. What's alarming, is how every change the company has made thus far has negatively impacted the game's fans.

Back in January, Visual Concepts decided to alter My Team's Domination mode so that team card packs could only be earned once. During NBA 2K14's first two months on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, gamers could replay Domination games and continue earning team packs endlessly. That sudden change drew pages of criticism from upset My Team players.

My Team's gold tournament rewards have also declined in value since NBA 2K14 launched, as the 5,200 My Team points you could have earned during the game's opening months have now diminished to 4,500 MT.

Most upsetting, is how Visual Concepts continues to tilt NBA 2K14's economy while ignoring actual game issues like players with no shot feedback, disappearing player contracts and dysfunctional signature skills.

Whereas developers like Turn 10 Studios, makers of Forza Motorsport 5, were quick to pacify the public's outcry that a $60 retail game could employ free-to-play mechanics, unnecessary paywalls and an unbalanced marketplace, Visual Concepts, at least for NBA 2K14, seems content to ignore its critics and continue mining its newfound streams of real currency.

Do you believe that NBA 2K14's reward system is playing fair or committing a foul? Make the call in the comments below.

NBA 2K14 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 polorsport @ 03/21/14 03:34 PM

I say we boycott NBA2K15. Ronnie has tweeted about celebs again next year.

How much do you want to bet that takes precedent over fixing the servers and getting rid of this vc bull****.

# 22 KingTocco @ 03/21/14 03:38 PM

Go ahead and boycott it...people will still buy it. I'll buy it because I highly doubt NBA Live will be anything to compete against and basketball is part of my life.

Other than the VC, the game isn't as terrible as everyone always complains about it to be. This next gen was a foundation for the other next gen games to come and I think 2K15 will be better.

VC isn't going anywhere so I guess we'll just have to deal with it or you guys can stop playing it.

# 23 mjarz02 @ 03/21/14 04:01 PM

I am definitely going to trade this game in.

# 24 LakersForLife @ 03/21/14 04:03 PM

2k are you ****ing serious

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

# 25 DJ_Solis @ 03/21/14 04:05 PM

Just wait for the 2k hype train to see everybody forget about this boycotting idea. Really, all 2k would have to do is bring back crew and people will buy it regardless of their feeling towards VC.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 26 AaeriosGames @ 03/21/14 04:05 PM

This is just another corporate scheme by 2K Sports to drive micro-transaction sales of VC. Unfortunately, 2K Sports has the leverage over the consumers to implement things like this because they've monopolized the virtual basketball market.

# 27 analogdan @ 03/21/14 04:06 PM

Well, my game is going up on Amazon today, hopefully to steal a sale from these crooks. What a joke.

# 28 Don Jon @ 03/21/14 04:08 PM

I just played a 11 min/qtr mygm game, and didn't get any vc afterwards...

# 29 KingTocco @ 03/21/14 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaeriosGames


	This is just another corporate scheme by 2K Sports to drive micro-transaction sales of VC. Unfortunately, 2K Sports has the leverage over the consumers to implement things like this because they've monopolized the virtual basketball market.

They actually haven't monopolized the "virtual basketball market"

NBA Live still exists, it's just terrible. It's not 2K's fault that EA Sports can't put out a good basketball game. Honestly, another developer needs to emerge and make a basketball game because both EA and 2K have problems listening to consumers.

# 30 South318 @ 03/21/14 04:26 PM

The same layout of the VC is expected to return next year. Nothing will change until the number of sales drop tremendously. They are also letting us know that, they can change the VC for the better or worse.

So, if they change the VC system to make it better, once enough people purchase the game, they can make VC bad again. This is the future of NBA 2k. Pay more money to play an already paid for game on FAULTY servers.

# 31 doctorhay53 @ 03/21/14 04:33 PM

I am shocked, but in hindsight, I shouldn't be. This entire game is tuned to herd you towards buying VC. Now they're just taking off the thin veil and making it fully transparent that the sole point of this game is to milk you for VC money.

# 32 TMuss @ 03/21/14 04:40 PM

2k must really want that "Worst Company in America" title that EA currently has.

# 33 jeremym480 @ 03/21/14 04:47 PM

Pretty shady, 2k. Luckily, it doesn't effect me too much because I actually play a lot of my games. Also thanks to the My2k app I have plenty of VC at my disposal. Of course, it's ridiculous that I have to do that, but it's better than spending real money.

# 34 Turtlemayor @ 03/21/14 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South318


	The same layout of the VC is expected to return next year. Nothing will change until the number of sales drop tremendously. They are also letting us know that, they can change the VC for the better or worse. So, if they change the VC system to make it better, once enough people purchase the game, they can make VC bad again. This is the future of NBA 2k. Pay more money to play an already paid for game on FAULTY servers.

The point about changing the VC is something I hadn't even previously considered. With the negative press this is receiving, I imagine the promotional materials for 2k15 will almost certainly promise us either better VC payouts for completing things in the game, or lower item costs. But once the game has been sold they can flip those values to whatever they please.

# 35 Francis94 @ 03/21/14 05:25 PM

Shame on you, bunch of piece of s.

# 36 ahuffman @ 03/21/14 05:27 PM

Did someone mention this game was part of that Best Buy trade in deal? After this bs I am definitely looking at trading this disgrace in. It looks like the show devs are the only ones who still give a crap about their customers, sad.

# 37 WTF @ 03/21/14 06:03 PM

I truly hope that this is a mistake, perhaps they meant to cut the cost of items by 40%, not VC earned.

If it's not a mistake, that's quite a "suck it" to the fans.

# 38 VDusen04 @ 03/21/14 06:05 PM

These decisions are so far removed from how I once envisioned 2K to be. I'm becoming more interested in The Show day by day just because they still seem to be able to suggest that creating a fun & enjoyable experience for their customers may be priority #1. I know every company wants to cash out (even folks making The Show) but when you're dealing with art, there still must be some integrity there, no?

I am endlessly baffled and wholly disheartened with 2K's continued shift.

# 39 Syce @ 03/21/14 06:29 PM

i honestly think this move is to get more people to purchase VC than to just run that mygm roster where you basically win everything then just delete it and redo it over and over to farm VC. this way it wont be worth it as much so people will fade away from doing the mygm farm or just purchase VC now.

# 40 kadzier @ 03/21/14 07:28 PM

Yeah, if you've been following MLB The Show, they've implemented microtransactions as well, but they specifically state they're not trying to get into your wallet, and you can have just as enjoyable experience as always without spending a single dime. This was direct from the devs.

Compare that attitude to the attitude of 2K, which is total radio silence on the subject of VC while slowly but steadily having it take over all modes of the game, to the detriment of the player. After a certain point you have to wonder if 2K's priorities still lie in making the best and most enjoyable basketball sim on the market, or have they shifted into maximizing profits as their number one priority. Changes such as this do not make me feel optimistic.

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