There is a lot of competition in the gaming industry, but sports franchises have figured out how to capture a consumer’s attention through different cycles of the season.
For basketball fans, one great mode would be to play out the NBA playoffs odds and simulate a champion time and time again. It is a game mode – playoff mode – that has long been around since there were even competitors among NBA video games.
The basketball video game sector on consoles was dominated by EA Sports with its NBA Live title in the 2000s until 2K Interactive built its NBA 2K series to challenge it. Soon after, 2K dominated the market through the 2010s, but a late resurrection of NBA Live has sparked debate on what is next for each.
Gaming rights remain with both the NBA and the NBA Players association. That is a big key as each looks to compete, which is how great gaming was when the rivalry was beginning in the 2000s.
Here are the important game modes that developers should be focusing on for each title and if there are any challengers who come along or in spaces other than consoles.
Franchise Mode
There are some games that focus on a simulation, and that is OK, but giving the user an experience and various options to emulate an NBA franchise is one of the best offline modes.
Being able to control an organization and run its team can be a lot of fun. Having the ability to take on management duties from the coaching staff to scouting and which prospects to target, to roster management with trades and free agency and total elements, it gives users a great experience, whether controlling their favorite team or otherwise.
Being able to create different experiences in the game mode is great, too. Some games have gone retro and given the opportunity to take over in a past season, such as before LeBron James was drafted, with an opportunity to rewrite the history books and play with the stars of yesterday.
It would allow for different Vegas odds NBA championship throughout the different seasons as trades, signings, and draft selections would be different. That would really give power to the player in a remarkable way.
Ultimate Team
One of the fastest-growing game modes has been meshing players of old and current stars in an online mode. Mixing card collecting and playing a game online has really captured the attention of young adult gamers.
The opportunity to put James and Kobe Bryant on the same team creates an All-Star Game like feel, except when facing those same players and Oscar Robertson. It is such a different balance, and the microtransactions consumers buy to have their teams keep up is a remarkable boom for the esports world.
There are a number of different game modes within an ultimate team setting, and different challenges can be created to force players to play with different cards or try to balance teams. Offering different rewards for making progress toward experience or getting those options to buy packs and quickly build a team keeps users engaged throughout.
Lock It In
Basketball is largely an individual game due to the offensive skill sets that each player develops. Being able to take a single player and develop them to play in a variety of game modes is reminiscent of one’s childhood. Living out those dreams in virtual form for some who were not athletic or big enough is a great fix and keeps people locked in.
Story Mode and Park Mode
There are two ways to encourage this style of play, too. Offering a story mode where a player can develop from a high school prospect to a star college athlete to a professional looking to get his big break is one of the more traditional and engaging ways. Some have even created a cinematic experience in-between the different games.
The hope is that one player can someday impact NBA series odds while going for a coveted championship.
The other way is to offer a park mode where one can team up with other users online to play games or challenge one another.
