Gamers have been screaming for the return of NBA Street. Now, former developers of the long-dormant video game franchise look to answer those cries with NBA The Run.
Play By Play Studios, which is comprised of former EA Sports developers, has secured both official NBA and NBPA licenses for its new game, NBA The Run.
NBA The Run will serve as a spiritual successor to EA Sports Big’s iconic 3v3 basketball game, NBA Street, and its equally, if not more popular, sequel, NBA Street Vol . 2.
Before the game landed NBA and NBPA licenses, it was known simply as The Run: Got Next in 2024 and was only going to feature original characters. Now players can look forward to playing street-style basketball using their favorite pro hoopers like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, and even Cooper Flag.
Speaking with Brian Shea of Game Informer, studio founder and CEO Scott Probst touched on learning that he and his team were not alone in their love and appreciation for arcade-style streetball basketball games.
“We didn’t know; we were working in the shadows,” Probst told Game Informer. “We were making The Run: Got Next before it was licensed, and we didn’t really know. We had this sense that players would love this and players would still want it, and I think the reaction that we got was bigger and better than we actually thought it was going to be.”
NBA The Run Will Utilize Rollback Netcode
What made NBA Street so popular among gamers was its coop couch play, sparking many a battle between friends.
NBA The Run hopes to recapture that same energy, but with online crossplay, while using rollback netcode, which fighting games use to reduce the impact of ping differences in multiplayer sessions and level the playing field.
Bobbito Garcia, who handled the play-by-play in NBA Street, is in talks to return to NBA The Run when it launches on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.
The reception to the game has been lukewarm, with many asking why not just bring NBA Street back?
We’re gonna hold judgment until we get hands-on with the game. Who knows, NBA The Run could be a banger.
Peep more reactions below.
