Another year, another NBA 2K Basketball Video Game … But this years is different and here’s why.
Let’s start with the cover atheletes for this year’s NBA 2K23.
Phoenix Suns’ shooting guard, three-time NBA All-Star, and 2021-22 All-NBA First Team selection, Devin Booker, is featured on this year’s Standard Edition and cross-gen Digital Deluxe Edition.
But the one to be really excited for is the legendary Michael Jordan – a six-time NBA Champion and five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time (GOAT) who will appear on the Michael Jordan Edition and the brand-new Championship Edition. This marks the fourth time His Airness has graced us being a cover athelete for NBA 2K. He was previously on the cover for NBA 2K11, NBA 2K12, and the NBA 2K16 Special Edition. Jordan’s career transformed the NBA into a global phenomenon, making him a household name and leaving an undeniable impact on the world of basketball. Jordan is the perfect embodiment of this year’s campaign theme: Answer the Call. As an athlete who never failed to rise to the occasion, Jordan returns to give an opportunity for old and new fans alike to celebrate a talent who left the world in awe throughout his whole career.
This year, NBA 2K23 will offer four editions of the game in an array of digital and physical formats: a Standard Edition, a cross-gen Digital Deluxe Edition, a Michael Jordan Edition and an all-new, exclusive Championship Edition, which includes a 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass. All editions of NBA 2K23 are available for pre-order now and will release worldwide on September 9.
The Standard Edition will be available for $99.95 AUD on the PlayStation 4 (PS4) & Xbox One. $89.95 AUD on the Nintendo Switch and PC. And finally $119.95 AUD on the PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X|S.
The Digital Deluxe Edition will be available for $129.95 AUD and grants players access to the Standard Edition across both generations of gaming within the same PlayStation and Xbox consoles; along with MyTEAM content, including 10K MyTEAM Points; 10 MyTEAM Tokens; 23 MyTEAM Promo Packs; Cover Star Players: Sapphire Devin Booker, Ruby Michael Jordan; Free Agent Option Pack; 1 Diamond Jordan Shoe (non-auctionable); and 1 Ruby Coach Card Pack; as well as MyCAREER content, including 10x 6 types of MyCAREER Skill Boosts; 10x 3 types of Gatorade Boosts; 2-hour Double XP Coin; 4x MyCAREER T-Shirts; Backpack; Custom Design Cover Star Skateboard; and Arm Sleeves.
The Michael Jordan Edition will be available for $149.95 AUD on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and features 100K Virtual Currency in addition to the MyTEAM and MyCAREER content included in the Digital Deluxe Edition.
The brand new Championship Edition will be available for $239.95 AUD on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC and includes a 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass (This on its own values at $480.00 AUD if you take a look on the NBA League Pass Website), 10% XP Boost on MyTEAM Season Progression; 10% XP Boost on MyCAREER Season Progression; and exclusive Michael Jordan-themed Go-Kart available at launch, in addition to the 100K Virtual Currency, MyTEAM, and MyCAREER content included in the Michael Jordan Edition. This edition will have limited availability and the digital version will only be available for pre-order. The physical versions will be available at selected retailers while stocks last.
Dual-gen access is included for the Digital Deluxe Edition, the Michael Jordan Edition, and the Championship Edition for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms and provides a version of the game on each console generation within the same console family. ie Backwards Compatability for those on the Next Gen hardware or future proofing for those still on the old ones and haven’t managed to get their hands on the Next Gen hardware.
So with all that out of the way, here’s what we know so far about this year’s NBA 2K23:
Along with Michael Jordan returning to grace the covers of NBA 2K23 this year, the game will also reintroduce The Jordan Challenge, which encourages players to recreate 15 iconic moments from Jordan’s illustrious career. All ten of the original Challenges from NBA 2K11 have been completely rebuilt from the ground up and will make their return this year – alongside five new iconic Jordan moments – for an entire new generation of players to experience. These Challenges take advantage of more than a decade of technological leaps to provide a completely new way to play through Jordan’s accomplishments within its own game mode.
The Jordan Challenge also elevates an array of spellbinding performances across Jordan’s college, NBA, and Team USA Basketball careers that players can experience across all 15 Challenges and includes unique video vignettes that come with special commentary from an array of NBA personalities: Jordan’s teammates, opponents, and other sporting celebrities who saw him do it live.
The Jordan Challenge introduces iconic NBA moments and in-game innovations, including:
- Experience a breathtaking recreation of a bygone era, from the 1982 NCAA National Championship to the 1998 NBA Finals. Each challenge features a pre-game interview with a luminary who was a part of what made every game special.
- A complete presentational package including an intricately designed video filter system that recreates the television experience of these games as they were originally broadcast during the 1980s and 1990s, showcasing the look, feel and sound that take players back to the original game.
- Key gameplay changes to fit the era, such as a heavier focus on the post and mid-range game and reworking the transition game for the 1980s feel, including tighter transition lanes and more players cutting to the basket with a numbers advantage, as opposed to the spotting up for three you see in today’s NBA.
- More physicality modelled on the floor and in the paint, along with new signature style upgrades for classic greats like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, featuring all-new jump shot, layup and dunk packages.
- Hand-checking and hard-hitting body-ups for a different feel to the one-on-one battles with accurately represented regulations that mirror the 1990s basketball era, like the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” with their famous “Jordan Rules” and more.
NBA 2K23 will also bring New Gameplay Enhancements thanks to feedback from the gaming community which will be highlighted by new skill moves, animations, and player builds that provide a more authentic and hyper-real experience.
The game also introduces a variety of new gameplay innovations to elevate the competitive intensity in all facets, including:
- Shooting: This year’s major change is the addition of shooting attributes, which give each signature jump shot its own unique shooting stats that help determine its effectiveness. There are also five new shot meters to choose from, with 15 more that can be unlocked through Seasons over the coming year.
- Pro Stick Enhancements: New Gesture Combos have been added to the Pro Stick, introducing a lot of new weapons for both shooting and ball handling for playmakers. Dunking also received new commands, ensuring players dunk exactly how they want without accidentally firing off an unexpected skill dunk.
- Skill Moves & Adrenaline Boosts: New gesture combos give players even more ball handling and shooting options for their offensive arsenal. Additionally, a new feature to prevent overdribbling is the concept of Adrenaline Boosts. Boosts are consumed every time a player performs a hard go or explosive sprint launch, and once their three boosts are gone, players will notice their speed and acceleration decrease significantly for the remainder of the possession.
- Defence: Defensive gameplay includes major updates aimed at creating more realistic on-ball defence and shot blocking, as well as steals and ball strips. This year, blocks have been tuned to a more realistic level, leading to more predictable outcomes, with the right players making appropriate stops when timing their block attempts well. There’s also a distinct improvement in ball security for good dunkers, and much more.
- Badges: Introducing a brand new tiered badge system for players on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, there will be 16 badges per attribute category: eight in Tier 1, four in Tier 2, and four in Tier 3, with the basic idea being that players need to equip a certain number of badges in the lower tiers before they can equip badges in the highest tiers.
- Takeovers: While the primary and secondary Takeovers remain the same from previous games, Team Takeover has been redesigned. Team Takeover works as a cooperative team system with the entire team sharing a single meter. The new design makes a lot more sense and does a better job representing what it means to be hot as a team and to take over the game as a unit.
- AI Gameplay: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players will notice improved AI ball handling, pick and roll execution, defensive tendencies, and coaching decisions.
Rewrite NBA History in NBA 2K23 with the All-New MyNBA. Explore endless ‘what ifs’, recreate memorable moments in NBA history, or make new league-shattering moves in MyNBA Eras.
MyNBA provides players with a time machine that allows them to start a new MyNBA save at a specific point in NBA history called an Era. Players can play through solo, or join up with friends and choose to either relive or rewrite key moments, including:
- The Magic Vs Bird Era: Starting in 1983, players will find themselves in the heat of the Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird rivalry that took over the league. Fans can rewrite 1980’s NBA history while they compete to draft the likes of Michael Jordan, Akeem Olajuwon, or any of the other NBA legends who were drafted in that legendary decade.
- The Jordan Era: Beginning in 1991, The Jordan Era puts players right at the beginning of Jordan’s dominant run with the Chicago Bulls. They will battle with Isiah Thomas’ “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons, John Stockton and Karl Malone, Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets, and Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks for a chance to claim 1990’s basketball supremacy.
- The Kobe Era: The Kobe Bryant era takes fans back to 2002, where a new generation of talent had emerged in the West, including Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks, and of course, the Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant. In addition to competing against the legends of this era, players will also be fighting for draft position in anticipation of the legendary 2003 draft class.
- The Modern Era: The previous MyNBA experience is now dubbed the Modern Era. Long-time fans of the mode can continue to start with the most up-to-date rosters available and enjoy the traditional MyNBA experience.
Each Era received a variety of updates to recreate the atmosphere of the times. Every team has at least one unique court along with unique uniforms. Additionally, a specific filter system was intricately designed to recreate the television experience of watching these games as they were originally broadcast, and every expansion team and franchise relocation is accounted for in-game.
NBA 2K23 is currently scheduled for release on September 9 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. For more information, please visit the NBA 2K23 official website. Also, make sure you subscribe to our website for the latest features. For other NBA 2K or NBA features, click HERE.
