NBA 2K19 already has quite a few problems when it comes to microtransactions and other shady practices that are centered around getting nothing more than your hard-earned dollar. Don't believe me? Go check out my review from last year.

Somehow, though, it seems like 2K's practices in NBA 2K19 could be getting even worse. As noted in a recent Reddit thread, it looks as though 2K is now prominently featuring ads in NBA 2K19 that play while the game loads. What's worse is that the adverts seemingly cannot be skipped either until it has finished playing.

Check it out for yourself in this video:

Apparently, this isn't a new addition to NBA 2K as some fans were quick to note. These in-game commercials have supposedly been around for quite some time and stem from the game's 2K TV feature. You can turn off 2K TV entirely in the options menu of the game which will seemingly also dispose of any ads that might also show up.

NBA 2K19 was practically made available for free across all platforms just a few weeks back when it was discounted to a mere $3. This attempt to get an influx of new players prior to NBA 2K20's release, which is assumed to happen this September, likely led to this awareness with ads becoming all the more prominent thanks to new players. Still, even if this is something that has been around for awhile, it doesn't make it any less unwarranted on 2K's part.

Whether or not these commercials will make a return in NBA 2K20 remains to be seen but it continues to bum me out to see what this series has become. I've been saying it for years now, but NBA 2K is annually the worst offender in all of gaming when it comes to microtransactions and other nickel-and-dime schemes. I hope they clean things up a bit this year but I'm sure that's wishful thinking.

NBA 2K19 is out now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.