NBA Playgrounds came out last year, and it seemed to cement itself as a sort of spiritual successor to NBA Jam . There were problems though, especially for the Nintendo Switch version. Now, Saber Interactive has announced a sequel, with all the experience of the first game behind it.
As explained in a new PlayStation Blog post, Saber Interactive considered the first game a surprise hit, and plans to follow up in NBA Playgrounds 2 by fulfilling a list of fan requests from the first game. This includes changes to the online play, a new multiplayer mode, and a new single-player mode.
NBA Playgrounds 2 will have dedicated servers this time around, and also let players run online games with a mixture of human and AI players as needed. The new mode is Playgrounds Championship, which is a sort of ranked mode that lets players track their progress across several divisions, with a team version as well.
In single player, Saber Interactive announced Season Mode, which aims to add depth to single player as you’ll be able to play through a season, get to the payoffs, and eventually chase the NBA Championship. Card-based unlocks will see players opening packs and gaining access to over 200 current and former NBA players.
In addition to the new modes, NBA Playgrounds 2 will also boast new and improved animations, new music, and more distinct features for the player models. New mechanics such as double alley-oops are also on the list of new stuff.
Currently, NBA Playgrounds 2 is planned for a summer release.
Source: PlayStation Blog