NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K today announced that competitive gaming is officially coming to NBA 2K16 with NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals, an exciting new competition that merges simulation basketball with eSports and culminates over the course of the NBA Finals in June. Players on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, can form their own NBA 2K Pro-Am teams and compete in a series of in-game events to qualify for the tournament to win $250,000.
“As the world of competitive gaming continues to evolve, NBA 2K is a natural fit to join the growing landscape,” said Alfie Brody, VP of Marketing for NBA 2K. “Our series has long inspired rivalry among gamers, and we’re looking forward to encouraging our fans to enjoy the thrill of competition on a larger scale.”
Road to the Finals tips off on February 15 in North America with a series of unique, NBA 2K16 in-game events scheduled through May 8. Teams can participate in any of the 16 qualifying events where they will need to win at least four games in order to qualify. Those four games will be scored based on the team’s performance and then ranked on the event leaderboard. The top score of each qualifying event day will be deemed the winner and will move on to the tournament.
On May 21, the 16 winners on both the PlayStation®4 and Xbox One will go head-to-head in a single elimination tournament. The console winners will then face off for the $250,000 championship in June while the NBA Finals are taking place.
“The NBA 2K development team has aspired to join the exciting world of eSports for years,” said Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. “Road to the Finals is our first step, and we can’t wait to add even more excitement and competitive action to our franchise.”
Last fall’s release of NBA 2K16 set a franchise record, selling-in over four million units worldwide within the first week of release. This year’s iteration also has achieved several incredible year-over-year milestones since launch, including doubling sales through digital download and nearly tripling the number of games played online.
NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals is open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C. & Canada (excluding AZ, CT, MD, ND & Quebec), 13+. Must be played on Xbox One or PS4. Void where prohibited. GameDays begin on 2/15/16 and end on 5/8/16. Subject to the Official Rules located at http://2kgam.es/NBA2K16RTTFRules.
Sponsor: 2K Sports, 10 Hamilton Landing, Novato, CA 94949.
Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K16 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is now available wherever games are sold.
Follow @NBA2K on social media and look for the hashtag #BeTheStory for the latest NBA 2K16 news.
2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).
About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the innovative Evolve™, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2k.com.
*According to 2008 - 2015 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through December 2015.
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