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Having launched back on the Nintendo Switch back in May, NBA Playgrounds on the Switch was missing one thing… online functionality. Originally the developers, Saber Interactive, thought that it would only take two days to patch it in. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out like that. Two months after release, the online update is finally available, along with some other fixes. Phew.
The patch is focused on adding online multiplayer, meaning you can now play ranked matches to make your way up the global leaderboard. There’s also the Challenge mode, where you can challenge anyone to a game. ‘All you have to do is agree on a code, open the online mode, switch to Challenges, enter that code and face each other,’ said Saber in a message to Switch users.
Shooting’s been completely updated, and Saber thinks for the better. ‘We’ve redone the timing, added a meter, and clarified the entire system,’ said Saber. 15 new players have also been added, like Dennis Rodman, for one.
Saber announced back in June that, due to the delays surrounding this patch, the studio was going to give away free Switch copies of Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn to every Switch player that bought NBA Playgrounds. Which is always lovely, being free and all.
So, why did it take so long? According to Saber, it’s due to difficulties navigating Nintendo’s restrictions. ‘We fully hoped that the Switch patch would be released, but it goes through a thorough vetting process and we haven’t gotten the go-ahead quite yet,’ Matthew Karch, one of the founders of Saber, said in a Facebook post back in June.
