In what has become standard for the NBA 2K franchise, NBA 2K24's servers will go offline Dec. 31. This is the way 2K's franchises do it, as WWE 2K only allows online functionality for slightly over a year as well.
As more and more of the game is weighted towards its online modes, this turns these games into more of a limited-time experience. Achievements and trophies are also often tied to online play, making them unattainable once servers go away. 2K24 has several, including Second Opinion, an achievement tied to getting your MyTeam cards graded. For those unaware, yes, NBA 2K24 allows you to get your virtual cards graded. No, it doesn't make any sense.
NBA 2K24 was the last one to have rights to use Kobe Bryant in its popular MyTeam mode, so this server closure is going to hit different. This became a huge issue when a Kobe reward card that players had been grinding for was removed moments before it could be earned. I may fire this game up before December just to hit a few shots with no. 24, and I suspect I won't be alone.
This is one aspect in which EA is much better in the supremely greedy company rankings than 2K. Madden 20 just shut its servers down in April 2024. Four years is about as much as we can expect in current climate. 2K's limits feel arbitrary and greedy for a company making billions of its MyTeam modes. But as long as we keep handing them money, (me included) nothing is going to change.