2K Sports', annual basketball sim, 2K22 features a large online open-world hub called The City that lets players explore, complete quests, shop in stores, and train. Rather than talking about the title's latest features, however, fans have taken to social media to converse about their discovery of 2K's latest bizarre ment placement in NBA 2K22, a cameo of insurance mascot Jake from State Farm.
The NBA 2K series is known for letting fans create their own basketball superstar in MyCareer mode. This starts them off from the bottom as amateurs and allows them to make their way to the top of the NBA by completing missions and quests. Returning in NBA 2k22, MyCareer mode allows players to explore an online hub where they can take their created character through a basketball journey from the court into an open-world city to become the next NBA superstar. As part of the journey, players can also explore stores and customize their characters, which like every other NBA 2K title is riddled with microtransactions, as the best cosmetics are only purchasable.
As reported by Kotaku, players have started to stumble across an in-game product placement for State Farm insurance. NBA 2K22's storefront in The City has received an entirely new area dedicated to State Farm and one quest in MyCareer has the player tasked with talking to the insurance firm's mascot, Jake. Appearing in numerous ads before, Jake from State Farm has returned with an NBA 2K22 cameo. Fully motioned captured by the original actor, Jake welcomes players to the neighborhood with a State Farm uniform that he labels "drip". Additionally, the State Farm store also offers more branded cosmetics, with merchandise starting from 15,000 VC which costs £3.99/$4.99 in real money. Finding the whole interaction and area nothing short of bizarre, fans have taken to social media to mock 2k for its blatant forced advertising.
Previously, 2K has included ad products unrelated to the NBA and has received a widespread backlash due to its unskippable ads in NBA 2K20 and exploitive behavior. Fans of the series might not be surprised with this new State of the Farm insurance advertising though, as the franchise is known for its many microtransactions including randomly generated loot boxes. NBA 2K22 seems to include more advertising than ever before however, as some quests also require the player to reach milestones with real brand companies.
The NBA 2K franchise grew its popularity by once centering its content around creating a top-notch basketball experience for fans. Sadly, 2K Sports has inundated each title in the series with more and more ments. As much as ments affect the overall experience, they are deemed optional and players who are looking for a new sports adventure can return to 2k's annual series with NBA 2k22.
NBA 2K22 is now available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: Kotaku, Capybaroness/Twitter
