Take-Two Interactive‘s 2K label announced today it will publish a new arcade-action video game, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, from game studio Saber Interactive.
The New York-based 2K said the sequel will debut this fall for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
It will focus on 2-on-2 competition. The game will be complement the realistic (and popular) NBA 2K sim and expand 2K’s presence in basketball video games. The first NBA 2K Playgrounds title debuted in May 2017, and by July it had sold more than 500,000 units across the PC and console platforms. All told, it sold about a million units at a $20 price.
“The original NBA Playgrounds was a fantastic throwback to the glory days of arcade-action sports,” said Greg Thomas, president of 2K sports game developer Visual Concepts, in a statement. “The new NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 will step up this energy and attitude big time – with a bit of added NBA 2K flair — giving fans of both franchises an exciting new way to game with friends around the world.”
The first Playgrounds didn’t get high ratings, but it was the only hoops game on Nintendo’s Switch, one of gaming’s hottest platforms. The game will have more than 200 current and retired NBA players, and it will featured improved matchmaking with dedicated servers, four-player online matches, and a variety of cool playgrounds at night in a snowy city or on the beach.
The stars include Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo,
Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Dr. J., Allen Iverson, and Larry Bird.
“No one is more committed to bringing fans a great basketball experience than 2K. We can’t wait to share more on how we’re teaming up to make NBA 2K Playgrounds 2’s incredible arcade action bigger and better than ever for players,” said Saber CEO Matt Karch, in a statement.
Saber Interactive is based in Millburn, New Jersey, and it was founded in 2001 by Andrew Iones, Matthew Karch, and Anton Krupkin.
“The original NBA Playgrounds nailed the classic core 2 vs 2 basketball gameplay mechanic while still feeling modern,” said Jason Argent, senior vice president of Basketball Ops at 2K, said in an email. “Saber evolved the game a lot post-release based on community feedback, and we’ve been thinking about building an arcade-style basketball game for years, so we already had a lot of ideas. With all this information handy, the teams aligned very quickly on how to make NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 a more robust, refined package that fans will love. Ultimately we’re building upon the solid foundation that already exists for Playgrounds franchise, while utilizing 2K’s product development and marketing strengths to make it more successful.”
Asked why the timing is good for the game, Argent said, “With NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 launching this fall, it will have been a full year and a half since the original NBA Playgrounds was released. There have been a lot of changes to the NBA rosters since then and the new game will have a ton of new features — Saber has already announced it will have a new single-player Season mode, a Playgrounds Championship involving worldwide ranked leagues, and improved matchmaking with dedicated servers. The industry leading Visual Concepts development team is contributing enhancements in terms of features, marketing and production. There will be increased polish across the board and new gameplay components that we’ll announce in a few weeks. Plus it always makes sense to release a basketball game near the beginning of the NBA season.”