NBA 2K isn’t a basketball game; it’s a platform for gamers, hoopers and tastemakers to come together and create what’s next in culture. Our challenge was to rise above the video game category to put the 2K franchise at the center of basketball and popular culture.
Basketball gets interesting when you realize that it is where culture collides—unlike many other sports, it influences everything from fashion to music to art. It’s where what’s next is always on display—and not just for the game.
For NBA 2K20, we created a campaign featuring an array of next makers currently crafting culture. Starting with cover athletes Anthony Davis, possibly the next NBA champion, and Dwyane Wade, the next NBA legend, we created game covers that told their stories through easter eggs from their past and future.
Traditionally, 2K releases annual player ratings with a simple tweet. We kept 2K top of mind for our audience by transforming it into a live-streamed Twitter show.
The event drove #2KRatings to trend #1 in the U.S. and #2 Worldwide and was awarded the Twitter 2019 Best #Live award.
Weeks before the release of the game, we debuted a launch film that taking fans on a deep dive into the world of NBA 2K. The film is full of easter eggs—from the music (an original song), to the wardrobe (all up-and-coming brands) and the talent (rising stars on and off the court)—everything had an element of “next.”
2K20 had the highest sales of any sports game in U.S. video game history.
