NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #1 - Marketing/Community Efforts with New Screenshots

[SouthBeach]

2K Sports has just posted their first NBA 2K12 Developer Insight of the year, as they go over the marketing and community efforts they have planned. New screenshots have been included!

It’s my favorite time of year, as we’re now just 53 days away from launch and, like many of you, this time of year feels like the holidays. We’re going to be BIG this year with constant NBA 2K12 news from here until launch so be sure to stay up-to-date on all the hot new stuff we’re bringing to you this year.

I remember that, over the course of the spring, I would get the two questions time and time again: 1) how does NBA 2K12 outdo Michael Jordan as cover athlete and 2) how does it follow-up on it’s critical acclaim in terms of gameplay? Both questions have been on everyone’s mind since the success of last year’s game, which saw us sell more than 5 million copies and win 20 “Sports Game of the Year” awards from various publications. And they’re fair, because 2K11 was undoubtedly the best basketball game ever released in the eyes of this (maybe somewhat biased) observer.

Firstly, let me address the cover. We could only follow up “His Airness” one way -by doing it even bigger and better than anything before. So we’ve not only brought back MJ for NBA 2K12, but we’re also inviting a couple of his friends: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who will appear on their own covers at launch. What better way to ring in the all-new “NBA’s Greatest Mode” than with three of the best players to ever lace them up?

Jordan, Magic and Bird (along with Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) are just five of the 15 NBA legends we’re bringing into the mix for the all-new “NBA’s Greatest Mode.” Who will be the other 10? We’re letting you sounds guys sound off and as usual, the feedback from our community has been amazing. More than 200,000 votes have been cast on Facebook, resulting in the current top 15 (Bryant, James and Wade excluded):

1. Shaquille O’Neal – 12.1%
2. Allen Iverson – 9.4%
3. Wilt Chamberlain – 8.4%
4. Reggie Miller – 7%
5. Hakeem Olajuwon – 6.2%
6. Charles Barkley – 6%
7. Bill Russell – 5.1%
8. Dominique Wilkins – 4%
9. Oscar Robertson – 3.5%
10. Karl Malone – 2.5%
11. John Stockton – 2%
12. Jerry West – 1.6%
13. Scottie Pippen – 1.6%
14. Patrick Ewing – 1.4%
15. Isiah Thomas – 1.2%

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of community involvement over the next two months. We’ve created a skeleton list of the 15 players and rivalries to be featured in NBA’s Greatest. But we’ve been interested in your feedback. Is there a particular game or player you want to relive in NBA 2K12? You’ll finally get the chance to do so come Oct 4.

The next question is how we improve on our unprecedented gameplay. Our momentum from NBA 2K11 has definitely carried over into this year’s launch cycle, and that was very apparent when we showed up to E3. We were a focal point at Sony’s show and with a little help from five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, our brand was able to gain some huge attention. When the dust had settled at E3, we had picked up eight “Sports Game of the Year” nominations. As you remember, I was at E3 and it became apparent that we’re bigger than ever when we coaxed those awards despite only showing a five minute demo behind closed doors.

So far, the news of our cover and the “NBA’s Greatest” Mode has set off waves in the industry. But OBVIOSULY, the largest part of the game is the 2011-2012 NBA season and players and all the gameplay features that you have come to expect of us. But if last year proved anything, NBA fans care very much about the history of the game, and how it’s influenced the present-day game. We want to pay attention to that and we want people to compare the generations, players and teams and decide once and for all who’s better. I thank Scottie Pippen for that when he debated whether LeBron was better than Michael around the NBA Finals. I saw that blow up Twitter that week. Why not let that debate live on? Having said all that, I felt like it was a good idea to leak a couple screenshots of current players to the loyal readers of our Developer Insights…

Click here for a higher resolution screenshot

Click here for a higher resolution screenshot

Click here for a higher resolution screenshot

And just to give you guys an exclusive heads up: The complete roster for NBA’s Greatest and a greater breakdown on the mode will be revealed next Friday, August 19th. My main man Erick Boenisch, or as you know him SimBaller, will be dropping a Developer Insight on the subject. But the news won’t stop there, as we’ll be releasing new Developer Insights at least once a week (Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday… at least a dozen total) and news constantly over the next eight weeks leading up to launch. As always, you can expect Insights about Gameplay, My Player, and Online along with other unannounced features. I hope you’re as excited for October 4 as I am. As I said, it’s my favorite time of year.

[kpax1º1]

Omg those sleeves!!!

[youvalss]

So...Barkley is at #6 currently...I'd like to see what's going on with that...

[SouthBeach]

Quote: Originally Posted by kpax1º1

Omg those sleeves!!!

YES! I hope they have Dwight Howard's blue alternative sleeves as well.

[wrestlinggod1]

If they're going to hold true to their promise of updating player tats, Lebron's Witness tattoo would need to be added to his right leg. Other than that, it's nice to see that we finally get the Addidas sleeves, as someone already mentioned. I also noticed a new knee pad/brace on Jermaine O'Neal and a longer knee sleeve on Hedo.

[Mr_Riddick]

Calf sleeve sock glitch fixed!!

[youvalss]

^^ Yeah, just saw it...but is Garnett actually wearing socks with a calf sleeve (or maybe a full leg sleeve)? Or is it that ankle sock?

[wrestlinggod1]

Quote: Originally Posted by youvalss

^^ Yeah, just saw it...but is Garnett actually wearing socks with a calf sleeve (or maybe a full leg sleeve)? Or is it that ankle sock?

That's what it looks like to me.