THE Nbavideo game giant Interactive take-two And the National Basketball Players Association in principle accepted a multi -year extension of their partnership, continuing the NBA 2K video game franchise, while developing in new areas.
One of these new fields is the media and entertainment, companies revealing what they call the NBA Take-Two media, which will combine competitive games, social and long entertainment programs and live events.
“At a high level, it is based on the idea that basketball is a connective tissue in the broader world of pop culture,” explains Andrew Perlmutter, CEO of NBA Take-Two Media, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “NBA Take-Two Media is a modern entertainment company that brings fans and players closer to playful narration and live immersive events that are focused exclusively off the field. I would say more precisely, we draw players from the NBA, celebrities, creators and ice cubes, a funny lifestyle – to name forms of forms – that take place – plans, fashion, game, food, makeups with waterfalls and shows. »»
One of the first shows to make its debut in the new company will be a series of trips led by the former All-Star of the NBA Joakim Noah, who will travel around the world to explore how basketball is played in local communities.
Perlmutter says that the company will produce its original programming and social content internally, although it leaves the door to collaborate with creators on social platforms.
“I think that we are at a time when the creators have developed the most engaging programming on social, and there is an opportunity to learn the lessons of the creators and to apply these lessons in the programming that comes from a truly fantastic IP, like the NBA,” he said. “So on the social side, you can expect everything, 30 seconds of formats to longer style programs and 15 minutes with a fun and irreverent voice.”
The NBA Take-Two media were forged after the NBA and Take-Two interrupted its NBA 2K league last year, a competitive game company launched in 2018. The NBA Take-Two media will understand a “redesigned” 2K League that will mix gameplay and narration, and will include “teams and NBA players, celebrities and creators and creators and creators fans, ”say the companies. The new 2K League will be launched later this year.
“The basic idea is to use a 2K competition to create a really fun and entertaining programming constellation,” explains Perlmutter. “2K is loved by NBA players and celebrities and ordinary creators and people, and we will always have teams from the NBA represented, we will always distribute titles, but the goal is to superimpose really fun entertainment programming formats in addition to the competition.”
The aim of reinventing the league in the context of the largest media company is supposed to enjoy a moment when it looks like sporty And popular culture converges significantly. When the old league has attracted game fans, the new company could appeal to a larger band of NBA fans.
“The opportunity for me is much wider than competitive games,” explains Perlmutter. “There is this broader world of culture in which we have a truly unique opportunity to draw and grasp with a distinctive brand. It stems from the idea that we are at a massive inflection point in culture, and this represents the most important and most exciting thing you can make of it. ”
Of course, the partnership also means that NBA 2K – which has sold more than 150 million copies – will continue for the years to come.
“NBA 2K has started a new generation of basketball fans in an increasingly digital world,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “By expanding our partnership and creating NBA Take-Two media, we are impatient to rely on the incredible success of the NBA 2K franchise.”
“We are extremely happy to continue our long-standing and very successful partnership with the NBA and the NBPA and we are impatient to rely on the record achievements that we have completed together,” added Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive. “I would like to thank Adam Silver, Andre Iguodala, and all our partners at the NBA and the NBPA for their continuous support and their shared vision to allow the NBA 2K to become the first interactive entertainment basketball franchise.