First Official eSports League Operated by U.S.
Professional Sports League Set for 2018 Debut
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.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
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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
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property
of their 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 filings with the SEC, which can be
accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are
qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the
date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update
any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170209005348/en/
(Investor Relations)Take-Two Interactive Software,
Inc.Henry A. Diamond, 646-536-3005Senior Vice PresidentInvestor
Relations & Corporate
CommunicationsHenry.Diamond@take2games.comor2KRyan Peters,
415-507-7607Senior PR Managerryan.peters@2k.comor(Corporate
Press)Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.Alan Lewis,
646-536-2983Vice PresidentCorporate Communications & Public
AffairsAlan.Lewis@take2games.comorNBAChris Legentil,
212-407-8859Senior Director, Business
Communicationsclegentil@nba.com
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