The WNBA made its video game debut a couple of years ago in NBA Live 18. Now, NBA 2K is giving the women’s basketball league a digital court to play on, too. The release of NBA 2K20 next month will mark the first time the WNBA has been represented in the NBA 2K franchise.
Publisher 2K announced the news in a press release, noting that the WNBA will feature in Play Now and Season modes. All 12 teams in the organization will be present in NBA 2K20, along with the league’s more than 140 players. It doesn’t seem as though 2K took the easy road either. Fans should anticipate the gameplay animations, playstyles, and visuals to fully reflect what they see when watching WNBA games.
In fact, earlier this year, many of the league’s most front-facing stars were scanned into NBA 2K20. Such players include Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson. To ensure the “on-court experience” feels authentic, SVP of Development at Visual Concepts, Jeff Thomas, said the team worked closely with the WNBA and several players to modify 2K’s “basketball simulation engine.”
To see the WNBA in action in NBA 2K20, check out the title’s latest trailer in the video below:
Welcoming the WNBA to #NBA2K20 Get an inside look at gameplay and hear what it means to @Candace_Parker & @BreannaStewart to officially be in the game
WNBA Gameplay Blog https://t.co/E0uJdMb27t pic.twitter.com/IyIOP71kaC
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) August 8, 2019
In many respects, compared to the NBA’s lengthy history, the WNBA is relatively still in its infancy. The organization formed in 1996, two years after NBA Live’s debut and just three years shy of NBA 2K’s inaugural release. It’s a wonder, then, that it took so long for the WNBA to receive representation in games. Hopefully, this trend will continue.
NBA 2K20 will hit store shelves in just a few weeks on September 6th.
[Source: 2K Sports via Business Wire]
