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On Thursday we reported on NBA Playgrouds' new Enhanced Edition, a welcome refresh of an already enjoyable arcade basketball title. We did, however, pick up on the strange means by which developer Saber Interactive was introducing it. It was a new edition, but also an update, with more content, but in two editions. It's a bit of a mess, but we're finally starting to understand where it all started.

Saber Interactive confirmed on its own Facebook page that online play was ready to go back in June, but the size of the update needed to support the version planned for Switch didn't meet Nintendo's exacting standards. Size was a key issue, with the patch pushing the game's file size from 7.4 GB to 9.6 GB - an issue Nintendo simply wouldn't budge on. Saber is said to have offered the idea of introducing a second patch in July that would have reduced this number, but Ninty wasn't into reducing game files by patch either.

So, to get around the red tape, Saber launched a brand new version of the game with the patch already weaved into its code. The new version - which includes new player cards (including NBA legends and some YouTubers, bizarrely), a new mode and some technical tweaks - topped out at just 7.6 GB. So while it has led to two versions of the same game appearing on the eShop, at least now we know why.

What do you guys make of the NBA Playgrounds Enhanced Edition fiasco? Will you return for a rematch/try it out for the first time, or eschew it in favour of NBA 2K18? Let us know...

[source polygon.com]