MLB 2K12 News Post

MLB 2K12 Cover Athlete is Justin Verlander

09:21 PM - November 3, 2011 by Neolithic

Justin Verlander has been chosen as the MLB 2K12 cover athlete. He was chosen at the Player's Choice Awards.

ESPN has posted an interview with him, right here.

2K Sports Names Detroit Tigers’ Pitcher, Justin Verlander,
as Cover Athlete for Major League Baseball® 2K12

Leading Candidate for American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards

New York, NY – November 4, 2011 – 2K Sports announced today that Justin Verlander, ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, has been named the cover athlete for the upcoming video game Major League Baseball® 2K12, the next iteration of the popular Major League Baseball 2K series. Verlander was selected yesterday by his peers as the Players Choice Award winner for Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Pitcher.

“It’s a dream come true to be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K12,” said Verlander, who pitched the second no-hitter of his career this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports on the MLB 2K series since 2007, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue my relationship with such a great baseball game.”

Only the thirteenth pitcher in baseball history to throw multiple no-hitters and the first Detroit Tiger to win 20 games since 1991, Verlander pitched the Tigers to an AL Central title and into the 2011 American League Championship Series. Verlander is favored to win the American League Cy Young Award for pitching excellence during the 2011 season, and could even become the first pitcher since 1992 to win the Most Valuable Player Award.

“Justin’s amazing performance this season speaks for itself,” added Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “Between his second career no-hitter and leading the league in virtually every pitching category, I can’t think of anyone else but Justin Verlander to serve as the face of Major League Baseball 2K12.”

Developed by 2K Sports’ Visual Concepts studio, Major League Baseball 2K12 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this March for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ system from Nintendo, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Nintendo DS™and Windows PC.

For more information on 2K Sports, visit http://www.2KSports.com.

2K Sports is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

Game: Major League Baseball 2K12 Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 12 - View All

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Member Comments

# 21 rudyjuly2 @ 11/07/11 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	Ummmm....they have a 3 year deal with him. But I'm sure they are taking your threats quite seriously! M.K. Knight165

Seriously? I don't understand why a company would put the same guy on the cover for three straight years unless they planned to rename the game after him. Not a big deal but it seems odd to me.

# 22 econoodle @ 11/07/11 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	Seriously? I don't understand why a company would put the same guy on the cover for three straight years unless they planned to rename the game after him. Not a big deal but it seems odd to me.

exactly.
all star baseball mentioned jeter on the cover of the game.
to use the cover might not mean a lot, but it obviously means something or they'd just put a baseball on the cover.
If the cover didn't help sell copies [maybe not to US hardcore, but to some] it wouldnt be such a big deal.

Marketing is a big part of it, Mauer isnt that marketable right now.
Kind of reminds me of the Madden cover this year.
I am sure Madden would have sold a few more copies with Rodgers on the cover, If only to the young kid who go into a store with his mom and goes for the game with the guy on the cover he knows/likes.

Verlander is a good call.
He dominated the ptching world this year and 2k rolls the Million dollar perfect game angle.

But back to the long tern cover contract. A three year deal is a silly move.
if its a guy like jeter, tiger, or Shaq its one thing.
But Mauer?

I still think the cover should go to the big time player from the year before.
Somebody who when somebody walks into a gaming store there is a pull there based on the guy looking back at them off the box.

also, to the people who don't care about the cover and will just put it in a cabinet, you were going to buy the game anyways. The cover athlete idea is to help with promotion of the game and make it more marketable and noticable to the masses. If it doesnt matter, just put Francisco Cervelli on the cover every year.
It does make a difference.

ok i've kind of derailed long enough.

But it's always grinded my gears hearing about that the cover doesn't matter.
Myabe not to you, or you, or you, but it does matter.

# 23 StLfan72 @ 11/07/11 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by econoodle


	exactly. all star baseball mentioned jeter on the cover of the game. to use the cover might not mean a lot, but it obviously means something or they'd just put a baseball on the cover. If the cover didn't help sell copies [maybe not to US hardcore, but to some] it wouldnt be such a big deal. Marketing is a big part of it, Mauer isnt that marketable right now. Kind of reminds me of the Madden cover this year. I am sure Madden would have sold a few more copies with Rodgers on the cover, If only to the young kid who go into a store with his mom and goes for the game with the guy on the cover he knows/likes. Verlander is a good call. He dominated the ptching world this year and 2k rolls the Million dollar perfect game angle. But back to the long tern cover contract. A three year deal is a silly move. if its a guy like jeter, tiger, or Shaq its one thing. But Mauer? I still think the cover should go to the big time player from the year before. Somebody who when somebody walks into a gaming store there is a pull there based on the guy looking back at them off the box. also, to the people who don't care about the cover and will just put it in a cabinet, you were going to buy the game anyways. The cover athlete idea is to help with promotion of the game and make it more marketable and noticable to the masses. If it doesnt matter, just put Francisco Cervelli on the cover every year. It does make a difference. ok i've kind of derailed long enough. But it's always grinded my gears hearing about that the cover doesn't matter. Myabe not to you, or you, or you, but it does matter.

I don't think that most people believe it doesn't REALLY matter, it's just that there are a number of legitimate, marketable players that could grace the cover. Verlander's certainly near the top of that list and absolutely deserves it, but there are several other guys that do too.

# 24 rudyjuly2 @ 11/08/11 07:26 AM

I think one of the problems sports games face today is the feeling that the games aren't changing fast enough. That MLB 2K12 will be MLB 2K11.5. Same goes for the Show. Putting the same guy on the cover adds fuel to that fire.

Baseball sales for both games really dropped off this past year. They both need to do whatever it takes to convince people that their new game is great AND much better/different than the prior version. In the past EA used a name change from Triple Play to MVP to convince people their new game was better and worth getting. Marketing is important.

# 25 GlennN @ 11/08/11 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by econoodle


	exactly. all star baseball mentioned jeter on the cover of the game. to use the cover might not mean a lot, but it obviously means something or they'd just put a baseball on the cover. If the cover didn't help sell copies [maybe not to US hardcore, but to some] it wouldnt be such a big deal. Marketing is a big part of it, Mauer isnt that marketable right now. Kind of reminds me of the Madden cover this year. I am sure Madden would have sold a few more copies with Rodgers on the cover, If only to the young kid who go into a store with his mom and goes for the game with the guy on the cover he knows/likes. Verlander is a good call. He dominated the ptching world this year and 2k rolls the Million dollar perfect game angle. But back to the long tern cover contract. A three year deal is a silly move. if its a guy like jeter, tiger, or Shaq its one thing. But Mauer? I still think the cover should go to the big time player from the year before. Somebody who when somebody walks into a gaming store there is a pull there based on the guy looking back at them off the box. also, to the people who don't care about the cover and will just put it in a cabinet, you were going to buy the game anyways. The cover athlete idea is to help with promotion of the game and make it more marketable and noticable to the masses. If it doesnt matter, just put Francisco Cervelli on the cover every year. It does make a difference. ok i've kind of derailed long enough. But it's always grinded my gears hearing about that the cover doesn't matter. Myabe not to you, or you, or you, but it does matter.

I think we are saying the same thing. I agree with you completely - the cover certainly matters for marketing to the impulse buyer who is not a remotely hardcore fan and picks up the game because they see it on the shelf with player X on the cover. All I am saying is that here, on these boards, we don't have those folks. Generally, I want to hear details about the game itself, refinements, new features, improvements, whatever. On these boards, I don't think the announcement of the cover athlete is that intriguing. Just my two cents!

# 26 SoxFan01605 @ 11/08/11 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	I think one of the problems sports games face today is the feeling that the games aren't changing fast enough. That MLB 2K12 will be MLB 2K11.5. Same goes for the Show. Putting the same guy on the cover adds fuel to that fire. Baseball sales for both games really dropped off this past year. They both need to do whatever it takes to convince people that their new game is great AND much better/different than the prior version. In the past EA used a name change from Triple Play to MVP to convince people their new game was better and worth getting. Marketing is important.

I don't think anybody denies the importance of marketing. Of course, I can't speak for anyone else, but when I say "it doesn't matter" I'm talking in terms of actual user experience and as a counter to the ridiculous emotional response this stuff generates here. IMO, for a place full of people that covet being thought of as discerning gamers, people should start using more discernment.

Now, as for the marketing angle itself, I have no issue. If the sole point being made (as you are doing now) is based on that then I have no disagreement. Specifically related to 2K, if the argument is that their marketing has generally been terrible for this franchise, I also have no disagreement...I've been saying the same for years.

That said though, I also don't believe that most people who hop on here ranting about cover athletes are ultimately concerned with a company's marketing success (unless everyone here owns stock in one of these companies...which I doubt).

I just don't see the disappointed reactions stemming from a thought of "oh no, I sure hope Company X picked a guy that will help their sales." It seems to stem more from "my guy didn't make it" or a baseless belief that the cover somehow affects product quality.

So, while it does indeed affect marketing, my question to someone who gets overly emotional about this crap would be "why do you care?" Marketing is a fine argument for why Sony or 2K or EA should care, but it's a cop-out for why someone feels justified in railing about a game because their favorite didn't make the cover or by making dramatic "...or else" type statements as though a company should feel threatened by choosing "wrong."

# 27 Doormat @ 11/08/11 05:53 PM

The guy deserved it, not a bad choice by 2K and MLB for giving him the award

# 28 rudyjuly2 @ 11/08/11 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxFan01605


	That said though, I also don't believe that most people who hop on here ranting about cover athletes are ultimately concerned with a company's marketing success (unless everyone here owns stock in one of these companies...which I doubt). I just don't see the disappointed reactions stemming from a thought of "oh no, I sure hope Company X picked a guy that will help their sales." It seems to stem more from "my guy didn't make it" or a baseless belief that the cover somehow affects product quality. So, while it does indeed affect marketing, my question to someone who gets overly emotional about this crap would be "why do you care?" Marketing is a fine argument for why Sony or 2K or EA should care, but it's a cop-out for why someone feels justified in railing about a game because their favorite didn't make the cover or by making dramatic "...or else" type statements as though a company should feel threatened by choosing "wrong."

It's true that some guys will use any point to take shots at a game or promote a game. Who is on the cover has never been a big deal to me. It has nothing to do with how good a game will be. Of course I've never cared about sock length options on player edits. Some guys go nuts for that stuff. I truly don't understand some arguments people have but sometimes I think it is simply because we are all wired a little different. I personally think that way too many people at OS think people are trolling when expressing a strange or different point of view. Some people are simply different. There would be far fewer arguments to moderate if people just let people express their opinions without feeling the need to attack an opposing point of view. Every argument doesn't have to have a winner and a loser.

# 29 SoxFan01605 @ 11/08/11 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	It's true that some guys will use any point to take shots at a game or promote a game. Who is on the cover has never been a big deal to me. It has nothing to do with how good a game will be. Of course I've never cared about sock length options on player edits. Some guys go nuts for that stuff. I truly don't understand some arguments people have but sometimes I think it is simply because we are all wired a little different. I personally think that way too many people at OS think people are trolling when expressing a strange or different point of view. Some people are simply different. There would be far fewer arguments to moderate if people just let people express their opinions without feeling the need to attack an opposing point of view. Every argument doesn't have to have a winner and a loser.

Hmm...I see your point, but I'm not sure what that has to do with what I posted (or the topic in general, as nobody's done that on either side, from what I've read...most of that seems to fall into the off-topic discussion of the other game). I don't disagree with the sentiment at all though.

My only point was (in response to the comments directed towards people who say "it doesn't matter"), to clarify that when I say it doesn't matter to me, it is never a debate about what constitutes good marketing. I feel that is a separate issue from where most of the disagreement comes from (which is a disagreement over the highly subjective notion of who "deserves" the cover, etc).

# 30 rudyjuly2 @ 11/08/11 09:20 PM

I'm just a little tired and confused. Read you post too fast and didn't fully understand it lol. To get back on topic, Verlander is an excellent choice although I do think they should probably go non pitcher next year.

# 31 truintellectplaya @ 11/10/11 11:15 AM

2K is very lazy. The Bigs looks much better than MLB.

# 32 Pared @ 11/11/11 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	I think one of the problems sports games face today is the feeling that the games aren't changing fast enough. That MLB 2K12 will be MLB 2K11.5. Same goes for the Show. Putting the same guy on the cover adds fuel to that fire.

You say this while someone else says that the cover doesn't matter.

It's quite interesting reading all the comments that conflict with each other.

# 33 rudyjuly2 @ 11/11/11 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pared


	You say this while someone else says that the cover doesn't matter. It's quite interesting reading all the comments that conflict with each other.

No doubt. Everyone will have a different opinion. I do think covers can be cool and not just for avatars. The NBA 2K12 covers this year were really cool. EA's football covers the last couple years were also excellent with the paint splatters and additional images. The baseball covers haven't been as nice. Nothing really cool or special about them.

I have no idea how much impact a cover has in terms of sales although it certainly is a part of marketing and every edge has to help. Putting Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K11 seemed to work very well last year although that was tied to the Jordan moments they put in. Putting someone on the cover specifically to promote a new feature set or gameplay addition might be the way to go.

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