Is NBA 2K23 Cross-Platform?

Fans are eagerly anticipating the release of NBA 2K23 on September 9. 2K has been building excitement with the recent Twitter announcement that Michael Jordan would be the cover athlete for the game, while Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird will appear on the cover of the WNBA edition. Along with this anticipation comes questions about just what features will be included in this newest iteration of the long-running series.

When EA announced that it would begin testing cross-platform play for "FIFA 22," it effectively changed the series. While fan opinions were mixed, many were excited to have the chance to play with friends who own different consoles. The news also spurred speculation about whether or not cross-platform play would be coming to other major sports franchises. On Reddit, fans began debating whether or not 2K would follow EA's lead and bring cross-platform play to "NBA 2K23." And while there has been no word from 2K about this yet, it does seem unlikely for now — and here's why.

The news from EA is an encouraging development and, last year, Blizzard had "Overwatch" players going bonkers when it said cross-play was coming. However, it must be acknowledged that cross-play is a relatively new idea and developers are still figuring out how to implement it. Cross-play on "FIFA" is still only in the testing phase and limited to the current generation of consoles with no word on if or when it will be expanded on. Given the current circumstances, it's safe to assume that 2K's silence about cross-play is a decent sign that it won't be coming to the next "NBA 2K" title.

This seems to be the common opinion on Twitter, Reddit, and on outlets such as The Loadout. The general consensus is that 2K isn't going to be bringing cross-play to its games anytime soon and that it should be focusing on other ways to improve the game at the moment. Among the issues that fans seem to prioritize over cross-play are better server performance and improvements to the PC ports for 2K games.

It's unfortunate for 2K that it can't make a big announcement like this at the moment. Some exciting news could distract from recent bad press surrounding a class-action lawsuit 2K is facing over the use of loot boxes in its games. With controversy swirling, the company could certainly use a win. Still, fans hoping for cross-play probably shouldn't start holding their breath just yet.