First Official eSports League Operated by U.S. Professional Sports
League Set for 2018 Debut
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2017--
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Take-Two Interactive
Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced plans to launch the NBA
2K eLeague, a new, professional competitive gaming league that
will bring together the best basketball gamers in the world. This marks
the first official eSports league operated by a U.S. professional sports
league.
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Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, right, joins NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, left, at the league's headquarters in New York, N.Y. on Wednesday, February 8th, 2017 as they announce plans to launch the NBA 2K eLeague, a new, professional competitive gaming league. NBA 2K eLeague will bring together the best basketball gamers in the world, and marks the first official eSports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. (Photo: Business Wire)
Set to debut in 2018, this groundbreaking competitive gaming league will
consist of teams operated by actual NBA franchises. The founding teams,
each composed of five professional eSports players who will play the
game as user-created avatars, will be announced in the coming months.
The NBA 2K eLeague will follow a professional sports
league format: competing head-to-head throughout a regular season,
participating in a bracketed playoff system, and concluding with a
championship matchup.
“We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly
special for our fans and the young and growing eSports community,” said
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We look forward to combining our
best-in-class NBA sports team operators with Take-Two’s competitive
gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience.”
“We are proud to expand our strong relationship with the NBA and
co-create the NBA 2K eLeague,” said Strauss Zelnick,
Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Through the NBA 2K series, which
is renowned throughout the world for capturing the authenticity of the
NBA and the passion of its fans, we have a proven track record of highly
successful collaboration. With this new venture, Take-Two and the NBA
aim to fuel the accelerating growth of eSports and take the thrill of
competition to exciting new heights.”
The relationship between NBA and Take-Two dates back to 1999, with the NBA
2K series selling over 68 million units worldwide. The most recent
release, NBA 2K17, is the highest-rated annual sports game of the
current console generation and the highest-rated title in the history of
the NBA 2K series.(1) To date, NBA 2K17 has
sold-in nearly 7 million units, and is poised to become 2K’s
highest-selling sports title ever.
In December, 2K launched its second official eSports competition, NBA
2K17 All-Star Tournament, which offers teams of gamers the chance to
win a trip to NBA All-Star 2017. The 5-on-5 tournament, featuring a
$250,000 grand prize, will culminate on Feb. 17 in New Orleans.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three
professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the
Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.
The league has established a major international presence with games and
programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA
merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six
continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2016-17 season featured a
record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories. NBA
Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App, which achieved
record viewership and traffic during the 2015-16 season. The NBA has
created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with
more than 1.3 billion likes and followers globally across all league,
team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses
important social issues by working with internationally recognized
youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family
development, and health-related causes.
About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a
leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment
for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes
products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our
products are designed for console systems and personal computers,
including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical
retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services.
The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol
TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our
website at http://www.take2games.com.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment
globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal
computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered
through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud
streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming
genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports,
casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most
talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis
Games, Visual Concepts, Hangar 13, and Cat Daddy Games. 2K’s stable of
high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®,
Borderlands™, Mafia, and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s
Civilization series, Evolve™, Battleborn®, the popular WWE 2K franchise
and NBA 2K, the highest rated* annual sports title of this console
generation.
2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). For more information,
please visit www.2k.com.
(1) According to 2008 - 2016 Metacritic.com
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respective holders.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are
considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and
may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes,"
"estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts,"
"projects," "seeks," "will," or words of similar meaning and include,
but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the
Company's future business and financial performance. Such
forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our
management as well as assumptions made by and information currently
available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks
and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual
outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking
statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: the
absence of a definitive agreement with the NBA relating to the NBA 2K
eLeague, our dependence on key management and product development
personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our
ability to develop other hit titles, the timely release and significant
market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable
pricing levels on our games, and risks associated with international
operations. Other important factors and information are contained in the
Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks
summarized in the section entitled "Risk Factors," the Company’s most
recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company's other periodic
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View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170209005348/en/
Source: Take-Two Interactive
(Investor Relations)
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Henry
A. Diamond, 646-536-3005
Senior Vice President
Investor
Relations & Corporate Communications
Henry.Diamond@take2games.com
or
2K
Ryan
Peters, 415-507-7607
Senior PR Manager
ryan.peters@2k.com
or
(Corporate
Press)
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Alan Lewis,
646-536-2983
Vice President
Corporate Communications & Public
Affairs
Alan.Lewis@take2games.com
or
NBA
Chris
Legentil, 212-407-8859
Senior Director, Business Communications
clegentil@nba.com