Ronnie2K here! I have been a contributor on the PlayStation.Blog many times, and I am back again for the yearly NBA 2K news cycle. Today I am extremely excited to announce the cover for NBA 2K12, the latest game in the unrivaled basketball video game franchise that sold over 5 million units last year and garnered over 20 ‘Sports Game of the Year’ accolades.
As a kid, I remember watching basketball religiously. Looking back, there were three icons in the basketball world that stood out for me, all for their different strengths. I imagine you late 20s-early 30s gamers know exactly who I am talking about.
Fast forward to 2011. Yes, this year we have not one, not two, but three cover athletes! And not just any three players. We’re talking about three of the NBA’s greatest legends: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
As you can see, the new stylized NBA 2K12 covers are a unique, one-time departure from the traditional 2K Sports brand artwork and spotlight each legendary athlete on his famous team: Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls, Larry Bird on the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bird and Johnson covers will be available only at launch while supplies last for PlayStation 3 so you’ll have to jump on the game early to make sure you get your favorite.
I thought that we couldn’t do things bigger and better after last year’s first-time inclusion of Michael Jordan. But by putting three legends on the cover, we’re really speaking to fans across all generations and celebrating the legacy of legendary ballers, past and present. Larry Legend with his unmatched jump shot, Magic with the unstoppable Showtime Lakers, along with the incomparable Michael Jordan are players that gamers of all ages can appreciate. From a marketing point of view, this will be an unprecedented year for things we can do to bring the only basketball simulation game to your homes.
In the coming months, we will be discussing the various countless features and modes that make NBA 2K12 unrivaled. In the meantime, for those who missed it, please feel free to check out Kobe Bryant showing off NBA 2K12 using the PlayStation Move at the Sony Press Conference a few weeks ago at E3. Yes, the PlayStation Move will be back and better than ever in NBA 2K12 so more news on that soon. Also, below you will see the first screen shot from NBA 2K12.
As always, thanks to the great people at PlayStation for giving me this time to talk to you about the NBA 2K12 cover. And of course, thanks to you passionate Sony fans who have helped us make the NBA 2K Franchise what it is. Make sure to follow us on Facebook to see exclusive info for the NBA 2K Franchise in the coming months or hit me up personally on Twitter anytime.
I’ll be taking questions below so feel free to ask any follow-up questions. I am sure I will be posting another blog in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading!
When can we have a real All-Star weekend? Like a real sprite slam dunk contest, foot locker three point shootout, and even skills challenge and shooting stars. I think this would make NBA 2k12 so much better than previous games!!!
Good point about the colours… they should all be unified.
I’ll be getting the Bird one.
And yeah, I know there’s the blacktop mode now, but I liked the Rucker Park one, and other outdoor areas.
Also… when are you going to add this Raptors retro jersey?
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=tracy+mcgrady+raptors&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbnid=v9JjeJVArEXkrM:&imgrefurl=http://johnchidleyhill.com/%253Ftag%253Dtoronto-raptors&docid=s1zksxX9N0x0XM&w=400&h=500&ei=m9goTpebNKOOsALOv8S5Cw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=360&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=38&ty=26&biw=1600&bih=785
This is a surprise but at the same time it’s not. Smart move on continually riding the Jordan train 2K, but i’m really surprised DRose isn’t on the cover. The man had an exceptional year and he’s also close with the 2K franchise (draft combine 2010, commercials, etc). As long as Jordan or Rose is on the cover I’m picking the game up, anyone else and probably not. I’ve played 2K every year since the glory days on the Dreamcast, but once Ben Wallace, Shaq, and KG hit the covers I didn’t play those years. Smart move 2K.
I like the idea behind NBA on the Move since it would open the game to many of my friends who aren’t avid NBA gamers, but I was fine with the set up for the Move on 2K11 except for the fact that Navigation controller wasn’t included.. is that a possibility in 2K11? as opposed to having the full “casual” experience with NBA on the Move?
Moreover, did you guys tweak the 3D effects now with a year of experience and another year working with it. I often felt it was very jarring and was too strong at times which made it a bit hard to play multiple games with. I would like to see stronger presentation and an actual All star weekend experience. Lastly, change the online challenging system since my inbox gets bogged down with invites whenever I enter a lobby… the system in 2K10 was good.
Moreover, I would like to see a major improvement on how user generated players look since the options that you are given are a step down from what developer created players look like and some other sports franchises have made a stride in this department. Also a developer vs players challenge during the first month or so would be nice since it didn’t appear you were able to do that this last year with 2K11.
Would be cool if you guys could do avatars and dynamic themes for 2K12.
Ronnie2K can you release any info about my player and crew !
i will get the larry bird edition :P
will graphics wise be up par with the xbox360 version? or possibly better? cause 2k11 360 version is definitely better than the PS3 version..
Hey Ronnie,
Can you add 3-Pointer Shootout,and stuffs,Can you add 2000 lakers because i am HUGE FAN OF ROBERT HORRY AND RICK FOX! PLEASE ADD ROSTERS! also can you add mores hair styles,tattoos,Like Matt Barne’s Hair mohawk. Please Ronnie add this!
This maybe the closest we get to an NBA season.
would NBA 2K12 will say the names of the created characters and not just the nick name in MLB The Show they Announce the name of the created character as the either batter up or pitch as well will 2k12 have better controls cause i get confused alot on the 2K Dunks ?
I can’t wait for the game. I know you get this a lot but is there going to be anything done about online. It takes forever to get a match. This has been a issue for the past few years and really keeps me from even trying to play online and I have a great connection. I get more drops and lag on 2K11 than any other game I own.
Can there be pre-game warm-ups before playing a game in NBA 2k12?
Could you please tell me that Dirk has gotten in upgrade on his stats in the game as far as his overall performance…. I love 2k11 and its my favorite sports game EVER but Dirk honestly sucks in the game its rare that he makes any jumpshots and his three point shooting is not near as good as in real life…. also J J Barrea will he be improved as well?… Once again keep up the great work with the game…. it looks so awesome with my 3d TV!!!!
Would love to see techincals added to nba2k12
Hey Ronnie, if you have the time to, can you go check out Chris Smoove on YouTube? He plays NBA 2K11 and he’s one of the best commentators I, as well as many others know. So if you have some time, go check him out. It’ll be worth your while :)
This is a great idea, i want all three :'( lol
I like magic too but the cover of michael rocks so hard.Gonna get this one.
They should put one cover on it and then the other two are in the case so you can pick which one you want to show off and switch whenever you want.
^ Because I can’t decide from the three which one I want
Because I can’t decide from the three.
Should have kept white background. Even though I know how hard you guys tried to make it blend. It still clashes on the Bird and Magic cover.
i realy hope ONLINE is better than the move debut e3 had . 2k11move support wasnt even enjoyable i had to use 1 motion remote and a dualshock controller to move.just dumb. its funny how if you give a con about a game on ps3 blog how most of comments wont get replied to.(COUGH!!) RONNIE SINGH.
and no update ever came for a nav remote to be used but somehow 3d comes. and how kobe came to show us what move was gonna be like in 2k12 was just dumb with all that colored circles going on the screen. dont just slap a ps move compatibilty sticker on it actually make the ps move feature want to be used and not something avoidable .
This is great and all but how about adding more vintage teams and letting us use them in online games this year.
2K11 was great,2K12 looks even better,only problem is that the expectstions will be really high after this game somes out,that is if it indeed is better then 2K11
When are we gonna get “The Legend of Dragoon” on the Psn Store!
1.Do you think 2ksports will host a tournament for Top 10 crews in 2K12??
2.Can 2k have a feature that allows us to watch all of the crew games on 2ksports.com insteadof just looking at the stats??
How can I ensure I get the Magic cover when I pre-order?
I like the new covers but i think that takes away from the hard work that dirk and rose did last season, maybe you could have made those cover available for the launch and to those that pre-ordered. the lack of greatness in the nba today is very clear so maybe you guys could think to bring some of the stars from the 90’s back like larry johnson, derrick coleman, kenny anderson, mugsy bogues, we enjoyed playing games that with those caliber players.
Yo Ronnie!,
Can You Please Let Us Know hen Will There Be A Trailer or Gameplay For The Game
And Also More Screen shots?
So I Can Stop Going On Google Everyday For Nba2k12 News
I Love The News From Gamespot and Destructoid Cant Wait For The Game Goin To Pre-Order It Asap. .
Oh and Love The Work I Been Hearing About The Game Great Job 2ksports!! :-)
Hi im Darius, will the my player mode get more in debt with the life of a real nba player, like life outside of the court. and also in the my player mode will the stars of the team you join be more aggressive?
Ronnie Singh, The Dallas Mavericks have been my team ever since they had Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki is my favorite basketball player. And in NBA 2K11 he dosent have his own shot. he and KG share a shot. Will our finals MVP finally have his own shot package? or at least signature jumper? I would give him his own shot package including his stepback fades etc… can you at least guarentee me that he will have his own signature jumper?
hey ronnie is there going to be an actual all star weekend in my player or other modes like franchise mode where u can have dunk contest, three point contest and skills competition that would be awesome
also are u guys going to fix the atmosphere in this game, like if you get a buzzer beater all the players should go running to player who hit and celebrate.
technical fouls and ejections
somebody who gets in a refs face for not getting a call or if someone gets fouled hard. a little scuffle happends
all that im saying is that you need to add a lot of emotion to the game to make it feel like an actual nba game
WHAAAT? :O
Since when could you submit your last name ?
please tell me so that I can submit my last name for 2K13
that would help me alot.
ANOTHER THING THAT BOTHERED ME ALOT in 2K11
in My player mode when I would ask for a trade request and i would move to another team, MY FREAKIN FACE WOULD CHANGE AND MY FACE LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT !!! whats up with that. will that glitch be fixed in 2k12?
I have a Question: do none U.S countries can get the Bird or Magic cover ?