NBA 2K publisher views esports as nothing but marketing

NBA 2K16 may be getting a $250,000 esports competition, but publisher Take-Two Interactive admits this is more about marketing than making any money from pro gaming.

Take-Two president Karl Slatoff says that esports is primarily about marketing, not making revenue, for his company. The publisher announced the NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals event earlier this week. This tournament awards $250,000 to the best player of the simulation basketball game in June as part of the NBA Finals. This will have NBA 2K16 join games like Call of Duty and League of Legends in the growing esports scene, which is a market that intelligence firm Newzoo predicts will grow to $1.1 billion by 2019.