NBA 2K11 News Post

Mike Wang Returns to 2K Sports: NBA 2K Series (ESPN)

01:17 AM - February 2, 2010 by iamemmittsmith

It's official. Mike Wang has returned to 2K Sports as Lead Gameplay Designer for NBA 2K11. ESPN has some of the details.

Quote:


	"When I went over there (to EA), a lot of it was for personal reasons. I wanted to try something new, try a new challenge. But after being there and spending some time over at EA, it was clear that they do things a different way, and in a way it's just inefficient and just not the place to be to make the best games," said Wang in a recent conference call with ESPN to announce his return. "When I went there, I immediately missed VC (Visual Concepts), and it's just one of those things where I tried to stick it out as long as I could, but I wanted to come back. With some of the creative decisions over at EA, it just made it difficult to stay there. They just want to make a different game than I had a vision for. So I reached out to (2K's senior vice president of sports development) Greg Thomas and he was gracious enough to have me back."

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Member Comments

# 81 DaveDQ @ 02/02/10 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	Just because Brinkman failed doesn't mean that's the rule. I certainly don't know the specifics of what Wang did and he may not have had any hand in it but after he left 2K the player control and movement went way downhill in 2K9-10 and improved tremendously in Live 10 to a point where it's head and shoulders above 2K10. Coincidence? Maybe.

No, I agree. I don't mean to say he won't have influence. He did have a positive influence with Live and I'm sure he will back at 2K. I think though that too much is put behind it. It's not fair to the one dev either. Look at David Ortiz for example. I wasn't crazy about his direction, but who knows what he had to battle with. If Wang is saying EA's leadership is a challenge with Live, imagine Madden's.

Look at the excellence in commentary 2K has pulled off, and Wang wasn't around when they did it. I don't know if Wang was behind the whole DNA thing Live does, but that's a positive.

# 82 3stepdrop @ 02/02/10 04:08 PM

Good maybe he can whip the 2k testing team into shape so they can put out some patches that actually work.

# 83 statum71 @ 02/02/10 04:09 PM

I thought Live was at least getting "better" with Mike Wang. Now 2K's really gonna smoke 'em.

Good for us.

# 84 BroMontana82 @ 02/02/10 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehh


	Just because Brinkman failed doesn't mean that's the rule. I certainly don't know the specifics of what Wang did and he may not have had any hand in it but after he left 2K the player control and movement went way downhill in 2K9-10 and improved tremendously in Live 10 to a point where it's head and shoulders above 2K10. Coincidence? Maybe.

i posted this on the live thread where the news was published originally but i think it's relevant to these opinions.

people are missing the point i think. it's not that wang leaving could be taking the series in the wrong direction, it's the decisions (probably strictly business) being made by those higher up. this is what can make or break a series. while wang was and is obviously important, it is obvious he's not making the ultimate decision of which way the series goes. even if he did, he may not necessarily be right.

the problem here is that we obviously know they are taking live to a new direction that wang didn't agree with. and we can assume it's the direction most people on here applauded. but a few people can make or break things if those few people are the ones in control making the big strategic decisions. if a certain direction is decided by a few of those at the top of leadership structures, it sets the business on a certain course. and this can lead to it's demise. one example would be myspace. there was nothing inevitable about MySpace’s decline when Facebook overtook it. it made strategic mistakes. newscorp. set tough revenue goals and the site neglected its technology and added new features such as job listings and horoscopes that drove web traffic but had nothing to do with its core users’ interest in music.

it will be determined to see what happens in terms of direction and sales next year but the opinion of one might not even make business sense. what if EA figures that arcade sells more than sim? and it works? then for them, it's a win. it can obviously go the other way too depending on what the core fanbase wants.

# 85 spankdatazz22 @ 02/02/10 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sambf12


	people are missing the point i think. it's not that wang leaving could be taking the series in the wrong direction, it's the decisions (probably strictly business) being made by those higher up. this is what can make or break a series. while wang was and is obviously important, it is obvious he's not making the ultimate decision of which way the series goes. even if he did, he may not necessarily be right.

Agreed. It's funny reading some of the comments, because it gives off a "Mike Wang was responsible for all that was perceived right with Live, and everything that was perceived wrong with 2K was because he left". I don't understand this need to assign a product's success or failures to one person and the need to play to the extremes with everything (something's either great or putrid). NBA2K was getting progressively more successful while he was there, and it's successes continued to progress after he left. It could be argued the game garnered even more of a foothold on NBA videogame basketball when they were competing directly against him when he was w/Live.

# 86 navyboy09 @ 02/02/10 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FootballForever


	If 2k indeed sold 2 million copies, they just proved 2k didn't even need Wang, not sure what terms Wang left on, but after selling 2 million copies without him, I would have say thanks but don't really need ya, Sorry Wang..

So you honestly gone say since they sold 2 million copies they don't need him? Of course they gone sell alot b/c they have alot of fans who knows it gonna be a good game and is going to buy the game anyway.

I feel 2k8 was the best in the series so far b/c it had the best control and feel to the game and that was the last 2k game mike worked on. By him comming back to 2k i think and HOPE 2k will go back to the 2k8 days as far as overall control.

Alot of people commend mike b/c when it comes to making a bball game sim he is one of the best, and to me i think if you want to have the best basketball game it have to be sim. But not everybody is like that and thats why i think ea don't really want to go in the same direction as one of the most sim gameplay designers in the business. They rather have a game that the average person can just pick up and start playing and wouldn't care about all the little stuff that makes the game feel authentic to real life.

Just my 2 cents.

# 87 BrianFifaFan @ 02/02/10 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navyboy09


	So you honestly gone say since they sold 2 million copies they don't need him? Of course they gone sell alot b/c they have alot of fans who knows it gonna be a good game and is going to buy the game anyway. I feel 2k8 was the best in the series so far b/c it had the best control and feel to the game and that was the last 2k game mike worked on. By him comming back to 2k i think and HOPE 2k will go back to the 2k8 days as far as overall control. Alot of people commend mike b/c when it comes to making a bball game sim he is one of the best, and to me i think if you want to have the best basketball game it have to be sim. But not everybody is like that and thats why i think ea don't really want to go in the same direction as one of the most sim gameplay designers in the business. They rather have a game that the average person can just pick up and start playing and wouldn't care about all the little stuff that makes the game feel authentic to real life. Just my 2 cents.

That's my fear and has been the track record. And a poor attitide/vision, IMO....

# 88 Rocky @ 02/02/10 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianFifaFan


	That's my fear and has been the track record. And a poor attitide/vision, IMO....

That's kind of ridiculous. There needs to be both. Of course, games cater to casual gamers...but their also needs to be tools for simheads like us to capture reality. It's all about balance.

2K is straight up lying when they say that all they care about is making the best basketball sim.

# 89 BrianFifaFan @ 02/02/10 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	That's kind of ridiculous. There needs to be both. Of course, games cater to casual gamers...but their also needs to be tools for simheads like us to capture reality. It's all about balance. 2K is straight up lying when they say that all they care about is making the best basketball sim.

My inference is that has been the history of how EA weights it's priorities. I'm not really feeling the mass market appeal as the number one priority. I say build the game as a great representation of said soprt and offer AI helps. I'm only speaking from a gamer's POV. Could care less about the realities of games as a business. But, in defense of my viewpoint, all of the leading sports games right now, bar none, have embraced authenticity as a cornerstone of their vision. Just hoping that both the NBA game teams really takes that to heart and build games worthy of the sport they represent. "Build it and they will come!" BTW, love the Rocky 4 quote. I watch the marathon of Rocky movies every time it comes on!

Brian

# 90 ataman5 @ 02/02/10 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	2K is straight up lying when they say that all they care about is making the best basketball sim.

It's damn straight obvious well said.

# 91 RunN1st @ 02/02/10 06:56 PM

"No more yanky my wanky - the Wanger need food!"

Oh, boy. The happiest guy is probably the dude that that took his place and will be clueless for the next year! Also, 2K really needed him back... that Ronnie character is overwhelmed and in over his head. IMO

# 92 jmood88 @ 02/02/10 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mniner2003


	"No more yanky my wanky - the Wanger need food!" Oh, boy. The happiest guy is probably the dude that that took his place and will be clueless for the next year! Also, 2K really needed him back... that Ronnie character is overwhelmed and in over his head. IMO

Ronnie isn't a developer.

# 93 carnalnirvana @ 02/02/10 07:39 PM

hopefully mike can fix this game so i dont feel like controlling a tank when i try to control my players.

and bring the fluid half court game the other product does so well

# 94 Moses Shuttlesworth @ 02/02/10 07:41 PM

Hopefully Wang will be the reason we can change headband colors next year.

# 95 23 @ 02/02/10 07:43 PM

I think you should look at them as a collective team instead of just Mike.

Remember the wretched 2k4? It just wasnt right until Rob Jones was put back on the 2k series.

Its moreso think of the talent together, The CH guys, Rob, Mike, Sim, etc...

# 96 Jukeman @ 02/02/10 07:56 PM

..All I know is..Wang at 2k for 2k8= my last enjoyable 2K game...

Wang not at 2k for 2k9-2k10= not enjoyable for me....

Seem like good logic to ME

# 97 RunN1st @ 02/02/10 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmood88


	Ronnie isn't a developer.

Oop's then I have him mixed up with someone else.

# 98 carnalnirvana @ 02/02/10 08:12 PM

CV its getting harder for you to hide your bias.........

one man does not make a game, like a reporter you are making too much of this

the new guy over at ea still can do something, hell 2k survived last year with out wang san.

2k while they dont stray from their roots gives gamers new stuff that make sense and works thats what makes them better devleopers

ea needs to make that committment to its gamers and as a guy that plays fifa madden and ncaa religiously they dont care, hell they still have most people fooled that fifa is a good game talk to the fifa nuts like myself and fifa is worse that the live series.

look closely at fifa it is far from sim but its sells and thats what ea wants live to become and to be honest mike wang would not have gotten that done.....

# 99 Jukeman @ 02/02/10 08:18 PM

The most important thing about this news is what he said in his qoute about EA going in a deferent direction....

This is hugh for me, its like getting your girl friend to admit that she is cheating on you...Before she admitted it, you knew she was but were just to naive to realize it....

EA aint going sim...

Its clear now

Thanks

# 100 carnalnirvana @ 02/02/10 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jukeman


	The most important thing about this news is what he said in his qoute about EA going in a deferent direction.... This is hugh for me, its like getting your girl friend to admit that she is cheating on you...Before she admitted it, you knew she was but were just to naive to realize it.... EA aint going sim... Its clear now Thanks

i think they are going sim but some guys just cant play the game of blatantly lying to fans, live 11 was going to be live 10.5 and some devs want to do more with their creative abilities and also remember this guy is part of a team maybe he wanted to run a set offense and the suits at ea wants the franchise to jack up 3's i dont think its ea changing direction

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