Several former EA developers, including former Visceral Games CEO Scott Probst, have formed a new studio to make a spiritual successor to NBA Street, the beloved 3v3 street basketball series released in the early 2000s.
Titled The Run: Got Next, the new project developed by Play by Play Studios is a “character-driven, full-court 3v3 hoops game that celebrates the attitude, style and skill of streetball culture,” developed in Unreal Engine 5. with players stringing together extended win streaks against opponents, solo or with friends online (discussions “continue” whether it will include a full offline mode). Similar to roguelites like Balatro, players will be able to visit a shop between games to acquire “items, sponsors, abilities, kicks and more.”
Court play will focus on unique characters with different strengths and weaknesses and play styles. The trailer introduces some of the original characters, including Spin Cycle, High Wire, and the mighty Zamboni, each of whom can perform powerful dunks and other moves.
Speaking to IGN, Madden co-founder and former creative director Mike Young says the team’s goal is to make “defense as fun as offense,” a feat that can be difficult to achieve in sports games.
“Stars feel like stars. I think if you go back to old school games like Nintendo Ice Hockey with small, medium and large you can clearly see the abilities of the characters. They had huge strengths and they had obvious weaknesses, and that made building a lineup for a 3v3 game very interesting,” says Young.
“Do I want a fast lineup, but we’re going to be weak and we’re going to be checked? Or do I want a power lineup that is slow but we can shoot and pass?… We had a Hall of Famer like Shaquille O’Neal who in real life had great moves but in our game he couldn’t do tricks from level 2 or 3, he would fall and lose possession characters move they all have special moves.
When asked if The Run: Got Next will feature microtransactions, Probst told IGN that there may be cosmetic items at a later date, but The Run is not free-to-play and that there are currently no plans for microtransactions to directly affect the game. As for online play, a Play by Play Studios representative confirmed that there will be cross-play and cross-progression, but that it won’t feature couch co-op at launch.
“We’re currently focusing on making sure online works properly for our launch,” the IGN rep said. “Like everything else in the game, we’ll listen for feedback and interest and go from there.”
The Run: Got Next will look to fill the void left by arcade sports games such as NBA Street, NFL Street, and FIFA Street, which have either been relegated to core modes in larger licensed titles (such as EA Sports FC’s Volta) or eliminated entirely. In particular, The Run: Got Next has a direct connection to the original NBA Street, with Young having worked as an associate texture artist on NBA Street Vol. 2.
“A lot of us who worked on NBA Street always wanted to bring it back. I think it’s hard for a company that has a game like Madden or NBA Live that’s that big. If you put all your resources into it, I think it was challenging to think of a secondary game,” says Young.
“I was there when Tiburon Studio came back [NFL Blitz]. Some of the things I’ve seen in the past are just nostalgic games and somehow haven’t evolved into a modern game. I think they lack durability so they should come out at a lower price. You can only get the people who liked them, and then they’ll play it for a weekend or a couple of weeks or take it out every now and then…”
“What we see as an opportunity is us bringing this type of game that doesn’t necessarily exist already to Gen Z, which is social. Play with friends, play against friends. We’re trying to fit in what sim games don’t offer us modes like Superstar KO that are one and done. We want to make the best version that would make this game.
A different sports game
In a letter introducing Play by Play Studios, Probst similarly took aim at the current sports gaming landscape, which is dominated by sims like NBA 2K and the recently released College Football 25.
“Over the years the gaming industry has grown exponentially and in many cases the business has taken precedence over the fun of a particular experience – it sucks,” he wrote. “I’ve found this in a lot of sports games today where I feel like I have to grind for hundreds of hours to get good, I have to pay hundreds of dollars (on top of the $70 I’ve already spent on the game itself) to have a good time and I have to go out on random quests to do things that don’t really have anything to do with the fun of the game or the sport.”
To that end, he says, The Run will “double the fun” without worrying about “overly complicated menus, GM modes, micromanaging lists, opening packs, or playing a game that feels like I’m watching a show.”
“We’re looking at a game like Rocket League, which is you can log in and you’re in the game for five seconds. They’re doing fantastic,” says Probst. “They focus on the action and the game itself. So the longer answer is what we want to do is we want to get you into the game. We want you to enjoy the sport of basketball, and we absolutely want to bring tone and personality and character back and do it in a really meaningful and memorable way that feels different.”
Ultimately, The Run’s biggest challenge may be its lack of real-life players. Unlicensed sports games have had a dismal record over the past decade. Probst admits that there have definitely been “conversations” about how important the licenses could be, but that ultimately they are focused on building a “really, really fun basketball game.”
“I think we want to create a fabric and a framework where we can bring in real-world personalities, be it athletes, celebrities, influencers, etc.,” says Probst. “But I think first and foremost our focus is on the game we’re creating and bringing our characters to life.”
We’ll be able to see for ourselves if The Run: Got Next is capable of ushering in a new era for arcade sports games when it launches in 2025. It’s currently in development for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as the co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any advice? DM her @the_katbot.
