NBA 2K12: Jordan, Magic, Bird, and PlayStation Move

137 73
NBA 2K12: Jordan, Magic, Bird, and PlayStation Move

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.

NBA 2K12 - JordanNBA 2K12 - MagicNBA 2K12 - Bird

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.

nba-xenon-0007

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!

Comments are closed.

137 Comments

73 Author Replies

  • ham1111111111111

    thanks for the answer. all covers are great !!!

  • One of the HUGE issues with the last few 2K games has been the poor servers, especially effecting crew games. Will you guys be doing anything to rectify this ongoing issue after the large profits from 2K11? ;)

    • Answered this earlier but again, I imagine it’s one of our highest priorities. We’ll have more details on this with the future Insights.

  • on 2k12 you guys should make it so that anybody could watch each others game online that would be cool

  • I was talking about players that retire these years so you dont have to make them all over again later..

    • We’d still need their rights just like any other legendary player. It’s not a matter of building them in game, that’s the easy part!

  • NBA 2K12 NEEDS BOOING!! When im the Mimi Heat and I go to visit Cleveland the crowd is soooo dead!! They didn’t even Boo LeBron c’mon. NBA 2K12 NEEDS THAT. In NBA LIVE 10 they booed like Crazy that is why that is NBA LIVE 10 has the best atmoshere of all time!

    • We’re not allowed to make it so fans boo at individual players. I think you and I have talked about this before. Crowds boo at rival teams however.

  • Hey Ronnie,

    Quick question. Are you going to allow us to pick legend players in a fantasy draft this year?

  • NBA 2K12 Needs new crossover controls.They should have it with the right analog stick just like they did in NBA Elite 11, because in NBA 2K11 the crossovers sucked, players barely dropped and they were like only 2 blow by moves. SO please change the crossover controls.

  • When and what is the first Developer Insight? (Can it be on Crowd Atmosphere)

    • It will not be on Crowd Atmosphere but we’ll probably have a Presentation one eventually. I know what the first one will be, but we’re going to let this cover announce breathe for a bit, no doubt.

  • Yeah i don’t mean so soon i mean in a month we’ll have it?

  • @jnco4383 , The same with me . I got NBA 2k11 the first day it released b/c I pre-ordered it on the Xbox 360 then when my Xbox was having disk reading problems I switched to the Ps3 and I played that for the rest of this yr. In other words, It’s hard to put down b/c it’s the best NBA 2k game I have ever played.

  • Let just hope the 2K Dev team irons out all trophies when released :)

  • Hi, I don’t buy any of your sports games, which I understand are the best in the industry, but I wanted to say what a thrill it is to see my second favorite Laker of all time get his just recognition, thanks!

    Will you have Magic out promoting his cover?

  • In NBA 2K12. If someone gets crossed can the crowed go like ohhhhhhh (that would make me cry)

    And if im the road team for example: LeBron at L.A and if I do a huge Dunk will the crowd scream even though im not at home?

    Finally, If its a Huge playoff game and the tip off starts and The Miami Heat has the ball, can you make them chant OVERATED!, BOOOO, etc because Im a Heat fan,and that will really pump me up to 20 my opponents.

  • good lookin out on the reply. will it become clearer in a good way? ha

  • Also Im pretty disappointed I didnt get the black with red pin stripe Bulls jerseys lol

  • Hey, what are the insights? lol, sorry i had to ask.

    • Insights are Developer Insights, they’re written by Developers on features. Last year we had a dozen including an exclusive one on the Sony Blog about 3D and Move.

  • Hello, will you be able to “create a legend mode” with the regular NBA rosters

  • ham1111111111111

    did you have to go ask them : “hey you wanna be on the cover ?”-or they didn t know until it came out ?

    • Haha I don’t think they’d appreciate their likeness strapped on a video game cover without their permission. That’s what took us so long to land Jordan :-)

  • Ok. Thanks anyway. Can I submit this for next year?

  • When i said courts i mean:

    The Lakers court is too BRIGHT the crowd should be dark and the court the half court line was yellow (it should be purple)
    Miami Heat has a glitch in the crowd where theres a full section of empty seats
    The Boston court floor was too brown it should be a bit lighter and you should see squares
    Chicago and Miami’s court floor was basically white, it should be brown
    MSG didn’t say Madison Square Garden on the floor and the court floor was to white, it should be brown
    Portland court shouldn’t say TRAIL BLAZERS it should say The Rose Garden

    etc theres plenty more errors on every court. But this year can you please work extra extra hard on it

    btw: I should work for 2k because I know how to fix this game. just ask me questions:)

    • Clutch send me a tweet or an e-mail with ideas if you want. I want people to discuss cover athlete stuff since that’s our reveal today :-)

  • Do you remember this year the Heat and Celtics when Lebron scored 10 straight points to end the series and the crowd was going wild, screaming, and throwing towels everywhere, can you add that in NBA 2K12.

    And if its a close game when theres like 2 minutes left the whole crowd should stand up and cheer defense and the screen should shake after a dunk and during crunch time moments when the crowd is going crazy and at that time the camera should zoom back.

    The crowd should scream WE WANT TACOS in L.A when there about to score 100 etc

  • Ronnie, will there be starting line-ups and lay-up lines in my player?

  • Ok im done sorry.

  • Sneakerhead question:Will all the Air Jordan’s make an appearacne in 2k12 again and if so will the Air Jordan color ways be real this time? Some of the shoes like the XI were wrong on 2k11

  • @69
    The fans in Miami are ban wagon fans lol. There were always empty seats in Miami before the 3 AmEGOs!

    I do agree with the Lakers court where the mid court line should be Purple instead of Yellow. I think Ronnie is aware of this cause I talked about it last year, and the year before. Hope this gets fixed. I know it is just a line on the court, but I am all about every little inch of detail. That is why I love this franchise more than the other one. They are always looking for attention to detail.

  • In the my player mode, will you as the player have more control of the team plays in 2K12??

    • My player is going to definitely involve more decisions. Stay tuned for that Insight down the road.

  • if you want a certain cover, but that specific cover is gone what happens, do we just wait?

  • Hey Ronnie, just wonderin if the there is a large quantity of the other covers instead of jordan, or how does it work?

  • Thanks, Ronnie. Maybe I will. I just got the Move & there’s a dearth of good games available…
    Best wishes on continued success with this franchise.

  • There needs to be a steelbook with all three of these legends on it.

  • Will you be able to use the standard controller instead of the move?

  • You can never go wrong with MJ on the cover!! Da Bulls!! Day 1 purchase for me!!!!!

  • Will My Player Mode blow our mind’s?

    • We always find a way to improve that mode. I think this year will be no different. I have a bunch of days planned for plugging My Player features on the calendar.

  • Even though MJ is the best, it gets a little redundant with the same person on the cover over and over again, I don’t care who it is. That is why I like the Magic and Bird covers better. Is there ever a chance in the near future that LeBron gets a cover? Have you guys ever spoke to him? He has never had a cover in any game. Are you waiting for him to win a ring first?

    • We have talked to LeBron, we knows he plays our game. It could happen eventually but we had to go with the opportunity to get the three greatest legends on the cover if we could do it.

  • Even though MJ is the best, it gets a little redundant with the same person on the cover over and over again, I don’t care who it is. That is why I like the Magic and Bird covers better. Is there ever a chance in the near future that LeBron gets a cover? Have you guys ever spoke to him? He has never had a cover in any game. Are you waiting for him to win a ring first?

  • A little bit off-topic here, but someone really needs to make a new “Jordan vs. Bird” game… or… dare I say it? A new “Dr. J vs. Bird” game?! Or… COMBINE THE TWO INTO ONE SUPER GAME?! Jordan vs. Dr J? BIRD VS. BIRD!?!? ::faints::

  • TheManofSteel3kO

    Hey Ronnie, You like soup?

  • Hey Ronnie like how 2k been the last 3yrs i’ve been playing it.Putting jordan,bird & Magic on seprate covers was genius. Have u been on youtube watching and listening to NbA 2k commentartors on the 2k community on what they wish 4 on NBA 2k12.They do have some great ideas hopely u can put some of them in 2k12.Im looking forward to NBA 2k12 in the futrue and hopely be better than 2k11 (Carzy how that sounds lol).

    • All we do is listen to our fans and that’s why we win Sports Game of the Year awards. Couldn’t have done it without the fans.

  • Are the hairstyles improved? Because we should be able to get hair like Joe Johnson and J.R. Smith. We should have better tattoos.

    • That’s an interesting question and one I think you will be pleased with as we roll out features.

  • Drazen Petrovic? Could there be chance we could see him?

  • Will NBA 2K12 be on the playstation vita?

  • Sweet because I hear a lot of youtubers speak on that subject and the all star weekend and I feel that way too. Seems like every year the game improves so looks like I’ll be playing 2k for years to come.

  • Ronnie 2K, Please! PLEASE! I BEG you! Put all the classic teams back in! I need all those Bulls teams! My Chicago blood demands it! And, you gonna add more Jordan Challenges? If you release anything please the first thing you release should be news about the classic rosters. Thanks!

  • Oh and, I will love the Bulls and MJ till the end and I wanna ask, Will all the Jordan stuff (like the 40 shoes, Bulls teams, Jordan Challenges, etc.) be back in along with Magic, Larry, and other Classic team stuff? If it is, my life will be completed!

  • HEY RONNIE WHAT WILL 2K SPORTS DO ABOUT HE 8’5 MY PLAYER HACKS IN NBA2K11 WILL THEY FINALLY PATCH THAT UP THIS YEAR BECAUSE I KNOW AS A 2K SPORTS FAN IT WOULD REALLY BE HELPFUL AND FAIR FOR ALL THE 2K FANS THAT PLAYS CREW GAMES ONLINE FOR XBOX LIVE

  • Hey Ronnie can you tell me why you guys stopped making the College Hoops series? And when will it return ?

  • Dear Ronnie

    It’s me again Please NEVER PUT LeBum on the cover!

    Thank You

  • It was leaked that Steve Kerr will join the crew but will he be commentating on the classic Magic and Bird and Jordan games? It’s be kinda weird since at one point he played with one MJ and wasn’t in the league when the other MJ was in it.

  • hi ronnie! i’m italian and my ps3 is set to italian…when i played 2k10 the signs of the arenas had italian words on them..like instead of “make some noise” it was “fai del rumore”. it was horrible to see italian words in an american nba arena..i don’t know in 2k11 since my ps3 broke and still is broken (damn it!!) so i was wondering if things have changed or you kept these nasty translations… btw nba2k is wonderful..spectacular..it really is the best sports game ever..italians play a lot of soccer games and argue about which is the best between fifa and pes..if they only knew how nba 2k is… ;)

  • Ronnie two questions for you…

    1. PLEASE tell me online and myplayer modes are fixed this year… especially online

    2. can you release the 2K12 cover template so we can design our own covers, for those of us who don’t want any of these three covers?

Please enter your date of birth.

Date of birth fields