NBA to launch "professional" e-league (on Take-Two NBA2K platform) (1 Viewer)

[superchuck500]

This should be interesting.

Apparently each NBA team will have an "e-team" that fields five video game players (each playing one of the team's five on-court players) in a schedule of competition and playoffs that is similar to the actual league. The video game players will be paid (not sure if it's simply prize money or there's salary as well), drafted, and under contract just like real players.

The NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software announced early Thursday morning that they are bringing some of the world’s best gamers together to compete while representing actual NBA teams, a competition Commissioner Adam Silver hopes will continue to expand his league’s global brand.

“The large part of my mission is to grow the game of basketball,” Silver told The Associated Press. “There’s going to be an opportunity for this first of a kind league to attract a group of gamers who might be playing some other game. Now, they can say `Maybe I couldn’t play for the Knicks, because I didn’t have the physical prowess to compete at that level. But I do have the mental and physical prowess to compete as an egamer for the eKnicks.”‘

“NBA 2K eLeague” is scheduled to debut in 2018. The league will start with about 8-12 teams – Silver did not say which teams, but noted that eventually all 30 NBA teams will be represented. Each NBA owner is being given the opportunity to build teams at their own pace.

. . .
Gamers will be chosen through a recruiting process by NBA teams and Take-Two. They’ll go through a virtual version of a combine and be selected in a draft, which Silver says will either be televised or streamed online.

Each NBA franchise will select five gamers to represent its team.

From there, the team of gamers will play in an 82-game regular season, advance to a playoff and the top teams will compete for a championship, which most likely will take place at an NBA arena, Silver said.

“We want to make this as real as possible,” said Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, the parent company of 2K games. He said there will be a cash prize for the winner similar to some of the past NBA 2K tournaments that awarded a $250,000 grand prize.

NBA to launch NBA 2K eLeague in 2018 | NBA | Sporting News

The NBA said Thursday that it's teaming up with Take-Two Interactive to create a competitive e-sports league centered on Take-Two's popular NBA 2K video game. The league would be the first of its kind run by a US professional sports organization.

The NBA 2K league is scheduled to begin playing in 2018, and it will likely feature teams owned by each of the NBA's 30 franchises. The teams will have five human players competing in video games stretching out over the course of an actual NBA season, complete with playoffs and a championship round.

"We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing e-sports community," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.

https://www.cnet.com/news/nba-2k17-take-two-basketball-esports-gaming-league-launch/

 

[buzd]

Awesome. They need to do this with FIFA.

 

[superchuck500]

Awesome. They need to do this with FIFA.

I'm sure other leagues are watching with interest.

Looking at the setup, though, I think its optimistic to think that each team just have five game-players. In an 82-game schedule, that might be difficult without alternates/backups. Although I suppose they could have weekends where teams might play a bunch of games in a row, depending on game length. If they do it that way, they could knock an 82-game season out in about four weekends or so. That might not present problems if the five players on each team only have to commit four weekends to it.

Will be interesting to see how they do it, and whether there's really any appeal apart from to the players.

 

[antipop]

I'm sure other leagues are watching with interest.

Looking at the setup, though, I think its optimistic to think that each team just have five game-players. In an 82-game schedule, that might be difficult without alternates/backups. Although I suppose they could have weekends where teams might play a bunch of games in a row, depending on game length. If they do it that way, they could knock an 82-game season out in about four weekends or so. That might not present problems if the five players on each team only have to commit four weekends to it.

Will be interesting to see how they do it, and whether there's really any appeal apart from to the players.

lol, real gamers can easily knock out an 82 game season in a couple of weeks

 

[superchuck500]

lol, real gamers can easily knock out an 82 game season in a couple of weeks

Unemployed ones I suppose. j/k

The articles don't say how these "professionals" are paid, but I heard an interview with Adam Silver about it on CNBC yesterday and he said they would be paid - but he didn't say what that meant. The articles talk about prize money, it could be that simple. But that's why I was thinking a handful of weekends - it wouldn't interfere with regular employment.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Don't even have the energy to shake my cane at this one