By John Denton
May 4, 2017
ORLANDO -- Looking to stay at the forefront of technological innovation and evolution while also developing more ways to reach youthful audiences, the Orlando Magic unveiled plans on Thursday to participate in NBA 2K’s esports league.
The NBA 2K esports league, which is the first operated by a U.S. professional sports league, will debut in 2018. The Magic will be one of 17 NBA teams participating in the inaugural league, joining the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.
``We are extremely excited to take part in this new league venture and look forward to the opportunities ahead from a social engagement, branding and digital standpoint,’’ Magic CEO Alex Martins said. ``esports is one of the fastest growing industries and to be among the trailblazers in the fact that the NBA is the first professional sports league to formalize its own eleague fits well with our culture of innovation. We believe this new enterprise will help accelerate the growth of esports, grow the game of basketball, and reach a new, youthful, diverse and global audience.’’
Esports is quickly becoming the fastest-growing and most-watched sport in the U.S. Evidence of that can be seen in the fact that 1.3 million viewers watched NBC’s live stream of the New England Patriots rallying to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Further proof regarding the explosion of esports’ popularity can be seen in the fact that more than 100 million viewers watch video-game play each month, according to Twitch. That number is expected to jump to 145 million video-game viewers a month by the end of 2017, according to Newzoo. Also, total revenues for esports jumped 41 percent from 2016 ($493 million) to 2017 ($696 million) and that figure is expected to climb to $1.5 billion by 2020.
Of those viewers of live stream video games, 58 percent are males ranging in age from 10-to-35 years old – an audience that the NBA is eager to try and capture.
The NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) first announced plans in February to launch the new, esports venture – a competitive gaming league that will bring together the best basketball gamers in the world. Up next, each of the participating NBA teams will start forming their teams for the 2018 NBA 2K esports league.
``This is the first step in what promises to be an extraordinary league, bringing together the world’s best gamers and showcasing elite competition on an international stage,’’ NBA 2K esports league Managing Director Brendan Donohue said. ``Our teams have expressed tremendous enthusiasm for esports, and we are looking forward to forming something truly unique for basketball and gaming fans around the globe.’’
While most of the boom in live stream video-game viewing has come via fantasy games, NBA 2K’s esports league will be one of the first with a sports-based theme.
Each NBA 2K esports league team will feature five players who will play the game using newly created avatars (not existing NBA players). This is a key differentiator as other traditional sports video games are one-on-one; NBA 2K presents the opportunity to create a team dynamic with five players facing teams with five different players.
The NBA has a long history of collaborating with 2K, a partner with the league since 1999. NBA 2K is currently the highest-rated and highest-revenue-generating sports title in North America and the second-highest sports game globally, behind only FIFA in units sold. NBA 2K17 is on-pace to sell more than 9 million total copies this year.
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