Nintendo Switch Update For NBA Playgrounds Out Now After Troubled Development

When NBA Playgrounds launched on Nintendo Switch back in May, it didn't have online functionality. Although it featured several offline modes, developer Saber Interactive said that it would patch in online support a few days after release. It took far longer than the studio anticipated, however. Two months after the game's Switch launch, the update is finally available today.

The patch is primarily focused on adding online multiplayer functionality. You can now compete in ranked matches for spots on a leaderboard. In addition, with the Challenge feature, you can challenge any other player to a match. "All you have to do is agree on a code, open the online mode, switch to Challenges, enter that code and face each other," the developer said in a message to Switch users.

The patch also includes a substantial overhaul to the shooting system. "We've redone the timing, added a meter, and clarified the entire system," Saber explained. In addition, 15 new players have been added to the roster, such as Isaiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman.

Due to the patch's delays, Saber president Matthew Karch announced in June that the studio will give away free Switch copies of the upcoming game Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn to every Switch player of NBA Playgrounds. The update took a long time to be released for a number of reasons, some of which are apparently due to Nintendo restrictions, according to Facebook posts from Karch. "Future patches will need to be handled differently on Nintendo actually than on the other platforms, and we are designing a new system to bring it up to parity," he said.

Today, Karch also hinted at upcoming changes for the other versions of the game. "We have a major update for all platforms that we can soon announce now that patch one is out of the way on Switch," he stated.

You can read more about the game in our 6/10 review here.