• NBA Playgrounds Coming May 2017

    Today, Saber Interactive announced that next month (May), they will be releasing NBA Playgrounds, an arcade-style basketball game in the mold of NBA JAM and NBA Street. Utilizing current players as well as legends, NBA Playgrounds features over-the-top moves and dunks in offline, online, and co-op modes in (based on the trailer, at least) 2-on-2 action.

    Retailing for $20, NBA Playgrounds will be available on PS4, XB1, PC, and the Nintendo Switch. This helps give the Switch a sorely needed sports title, but appears to be Saber Interactive's first foray into the sports realm. Other titles recently developed by the company include Halo Online, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and the upcoming Quake Champions.

    Due to his prevalence in the game trailer and social media profiles, it would appear that Allen Iverson will be the game's digital cover athlete. It will be his first time on the cover of a basketball game since gracing the cover of NBA 2K, 2K1, 2K3, and ESPN NBA Basketball (1999-2003). However, since then he has been featured as a playable legend in basketball titles developed by both EA SPORTS and 2K Sports.

    Continue on to see the trailer and also some of the first info on the game courtesy IGN.


    The game is a return to the arcade-style basketball games of yesterday, like NBA Street and NBA Jam. Officially licensed by the NBA, the game features players both active and retired, with Allen Iverson facing off against modern ballers Steph Curry and George Hill in the opening of the trailer.

    Every NBA team is featured in NBA Playgrounds, and the "roster of current and retired" players can be leveled-up. Keeping inline with its arcade-style roots, Playgrounds features "hundreds of over-the-top dunks and moves."

    Playgrounds can be played solo, local-multiplayer, or "against the world" online.

    Developed by Saber Interactive, CEO Matt Karch calls it accessible enough for anyone to pick up and play, but it still has "a lot of depth for hardcore pros who’ve mastered their game."

    The return of high-flying, cartoonish arcade basketball hits Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One next month as a digital-download for $20 USD.

    Courtesy: IGN
    This article was originally published in forum thread: NBA Playgrounds (PS4, XB1, Switch, PC) - May 2017 started by cdj View original post
    Comments 47 Comments
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      Another update is now available (at least on Steam & PS4):

      NBA PLAYGROUNDS Update 1.2.0

      Welcome to the Playground, welcome to Chicago and Madrid.

      With this patch not only do 35 new NBA players join the roster, but also 5 Youtubers are gearing up to enter the playground. Along with the new players, we have also added two new playgrounds and four new tournaments.

      In addition, we continue to improve the game and we’re looking forward to seeing you on the playgrounds.

      You rock!


      New Features:
      Added: 35 new players join the roster
      The following players were added: Ben Wallace, Bernard King, Earl Monroe, Elvin Hayes, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, John Havlicek, Julius Erving, Kevin McHale, Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Joakim Noah, Joe Johnson, Andre Iguodala, Bismack Biyombo, D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Justise Winslow, Kyle Korver, Manu Ginobili, Nick Young, Robin Lopez, Serge Ibaka, Tyler Johnson, Adrian Dantley, Arvydas Sabonis, Bob Cousy, David Thompson, Larry Nance, Mark Price, Detlef Schrempf, Wes Unseld, Lou Williams
      The following players can now be played on a second team, in which they played during their career: Lebron James (Miami Heat), Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat), James Harden (Oklahoma City), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), Gary Payton (Seattle Sonics), Shawn Kemp (Seattle Sonics), Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics), Alex English (Dallas Mavericks), Walt Frazier (Cleveland Cavaliers), Clyde Drexler (Houston Rockets), Alonzo Mourning (Charlotte Hornets), Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets)
      Added: The Seattle SuperSonics and Playgrounders were added to the team selection
      Added: 5 Playgrounders, this time famous YouTubers, join the roster as “The Playgrounders” in red card packs
      iMAV3RIQ, iPodKingCarter, QJB, Troydan, and DenkOps
      Added: The playgrounds Madrid and Chicago are now available
      Added: You can now play tournaments in Venice Beach, Seattle, Madrid and Chicago
      Added: New Dunk, Crossover and Finger Roll animations were added
      Added: New Ball styles can be unlocked in the tournaments

      Notable Changes:
      Adjusted: Now when the time of the match reaches zero and the ball is still in the air the match won't end until the shot is resolved (either by scoring or failing).
      Adjusted: the penalization received from disconnecting from matches has been increased. Now the user loses more ELO points and the progression grows faster.
      Changed: Actions from teammates count now towards finishing the tournament challenges
      Improved: The patch system for Steam to support smaller patches
      Improved: The execution time for throws was reduced
      Reduced: The probability of receiving duplicates in card packages

      Notable Fixes:
      Fixed: The visual effect when leveling up was corrected
      Fixed: Some miscalculations in shot attempts with long animations regarding their success chance were corrected
      Fixed: Some issues in the matchmaking were fixed which caused that players were unable to join the matchmaking when a former online session was not closed properly
      Fixed: An issue that prevents the user from canceling a match made via Challenge Code by using the ESC key
      Fixed: An issue that froze the input, when the application focus was changed with Alt+Tab while the exit message from the game was shown
      Fixed: An issue that prevented the user from using a controller to modify the challenge code
      Fixed: Some issues related to the random selection of players and the rule that prevents the picking of the same players twice for the same team.
      Fixed: Some Legendary and Epic players didn’t have the correct background.
      Fixed: The loading screens with the control scheme and the explanation of the shot meter were not rotating as intended
      Fixed: Some commentator lines were triggered at the wrong moment
      Fixed: Some issues related to the audience and its appearance were addressed
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      A new update coming soon adds a three-point contest, 33 new players, an improved rebounding system, and friend invites:

    1. Rudy's Avatar
      Rudy -
      This is on sale now for C$16. You guys still having fun?
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      I thought the previous big update that added the shot meter took the pendulum back too far in the other direction and haven't played as much since. Previously, anyone and everyone could make a lot of threes, but now the meter seems to be tough to match up properly as I don't think it matches the jump shot animation correctly.

      I would like to get back into it and give it more of a chance, though.
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      The latest update is now available on PS4.

      Notes:

      Hot Summer, Great Fans, Hot Update.
      The new content update for NBA Playgrounds is here.

      Thanks for continuous feedback and support. You Rock!

      See you at the Playgrounds.

      New Features:
      * Added: New players join the roster
      * * The following players were added: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Rick Barry, Tim Duncan, Brandon Jennings, Brandon Knight, Deron Williams, Derrick Favors, Gerald Green, Iman Shumpert, Jeff Green, Josh Richardson, Kenneth Faried, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Khris Middleton, Michael Carter-Williams, Mike Miller, Timofey Mozgov, Trevor Ariza, Tristan Thompson, Tyson Chandler, Bob Pettit, Jerry Lucas, Lenny Wilkens, J.R. Smith, Danny Green, J.J. Redick, Wilson Chandler, Alex Len, Dario Saric and Baron Davis
      * * The following players can now be played on a second team, in which they played during their career: Chris Paul (New Orleans Pelicans), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks), Ray Allen (Boston Celtics), Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman (Chicago Bulls), Tim Hardaway (Golden State Warriors), Scottie Pippen (Houston Rockets), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Jason Kidd (Phoenix Suns), Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Blazers), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco Warriors) and Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors)
      * * The following Playgrounders join the Playgrounders team: Ian Eagle, EJ “The Mayor” Johnson, Agent 00, Shake4ndBake and HipHopGamer
      * Added: Friends’ invitation system
      * Added: 1 vs. 1 Unranked matches (in all game modes), using the matchmaking algorithm, but players don’t risk losing any ranking points or changing their ELO
      * Added: 3-Point Contest
      * * A new way to compete online. Challenge your opponent to find out who can hit the most 3-Pointers
      * Added: A short steal and push protection when changing characters was added for the Client player in an online match to reduce the Host advantage

      Notable Changes:
      * Adjusted: Pushes are no longer effective once the shot attempt is made and the player jumped.
      * Changed: The difficulty of the tournaments was reduced
      * Changed: The lightning ball can now be blocked by a player just like any other shot
      * Changed: The experience gain during the tournaments was increased and slightly decreased for online matches.
      * Improved: The rebound system was reworked and improved to better reflect the intended game style and to make it understandable

      Notable Fixes:
      * Fixed: Several issues that caused Desyncs during Online Game Sessions
      * Fixed: An issue that could prevent a player from joining an Online Match after aborting a former matchmaking search right after it succeeded
      * Fixed: Height and Weight stats of the Playgrounders in the metric system
      * Fixed: An issue that could freeze the game, after winning the Tokyo tournament
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -


      The Hot N' Frosty DLC is Now Available for purchase on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam! Featuring 8 Rookies including Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Jayson Tatum, and Josh Jackson!

      The DLC also includes 3 New Playgrounds & 3 New Tournaments, so get ready to bring your 'A' game!
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Figured they gave up on this game...

      Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk