'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What’s the story?
The NBA is now taking a major step into the world of virtual gaming, forming its own eSports organisation, known as the NBA 2K eLeague.
This would be the first-ever NBA eSports league and the organisation is a partnership between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two Interactive is the parent company of 2K Sports, which publishes the popular basketball video games, the NBA 2K series.
Following the collaboration, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in an interview, “The popularity of NBA 2K with the young and growing eSports community provides a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the gaming community, We look forward to combining our best-in-class NBA team operators with Take-Two’s competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience.”
The league will also conduct events, create merchandise, sign sponsors and negotiate licensing rights for the live streaming of the games. The E-league promises to be a potential ‘money-maker.” Market research firm Newzoo estimates that competitive video game will become a staggering $1.3 billion industry by 2019.
In case you did not know
Visual Concepts, the developer of the NBA 2K series and a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive has gradually established their foothold in the world of eSports.
Following their release of the NBA 2K16, the studio kicked off a tournament known as ‘Road to the Finals’ last February. The championship event ran for months with a prize money of $250,000. Visual Concepts also added a spectator mode to NBA 2K16 game, so players could watch Road to the Finals matches.
The heart of the matter
The NBA 2K eLeague, which is set for release in 2018 will feature 30 NBA 2K teams, each owned by one real-life NBA franchises.
Comprising of five human players, each team will play a five-month season that reflects the NBA season. Starting with a regular season of head-to-head games, the teams will qualify for the playoffs and subsequently a championship matchup.
However, avatars of real NBA players will not be present in the upcoming edition of the game. Instead, it will incorporate customizable design on-screen avatars based on the player’s own stylistic preferences to enhance and provide a better gaming experience.
What’s next
Following the success of the industry, NBA athletes and owners have invested in professional gaming teams. With the league’s first official foray into eSports, the association is also ready to roll out a number of revenue-generating mechanisms around the new league, like live events and sponsorships in the recent future.
Sportskeeda’s take
Esports is a growing segment of the industry, and the recent collaboration will aim to take the thrill of gaming to exciting new heights. Thus the eSports league makes more sense from the perspective of professional basketball as a whole, as it would help generate more revenue and popularise the sport worldwide.
