NBA extends EA, 2K publishing deals
Competing sports labels re-up multi-year partnerships with professional basketball league for sim, arcade titles; NBA 2K11 sells 5 million.
Unlike football and baseball, the basketball court is an arena in which EA Sports and 2K Sports are free to go head-to-head with officially licensed simulations. That level of competition will continue in the future, as the National Basketball Association announced today that it has extended its partnership with both publishers to continue producing games based on the league's teams and stars.
The NBA did not indicate when the new partnership deals are set to expire, saying only that they were multi-year arrangements. 2K Sports had not responded to a request for clarification as of press time, while EA Sports declined to comment. The deal allows both publishers to create traditional 5-on-5 hard-court simulations, as well as arcade-style games, for consoles, online services, and mobile devices.
2K Sports made the most of its license last year, after EA Sports canceled the Elite reboot of its NBA Live franchise. According to today's announcement, NBA 2K11 has now sold more than 5 million units, making it the fastest-selling title for both the franchise and Take-Two's sports publishing label.
NBA 2K12 may have another big year in 2011, as EA Sports doesn't plan to return to its simulation franchise until 2012. However, the publishing label does plan on releasing a new installment in its arcade-style NBA Jam series this year. Titled NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, the game is expected to be available through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this October.
Xbox Studio Closures Are Confusing | Spot On Gray Zone Warfare | Community Briefing Trailer #1 Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Senua's Psychosis Feature Trailer Squirrel With A Gun - Official Announcement Gameplay Trailer Night Slashers: Remake || Official Christopher Smith Character Gameplay Trailer Animal Well GameSpot Review Firearms Expert Reacts to Ghost Recon Breakpoint's Guns Street Fighter 6 - 8 Minutes of Akuma Gameplay (High-Level CPU) Roblox - Netflix Nextworld Official Trailer Crow Country | Official Launch Trailer Halo Infinite - Official "This is Halo" Extended Multiplayer Trailer Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus - Official Announcement Trailer
Please enter your date of birth to view this video
By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation