Following in the footsteps of Spike Lee, who directed last year’s MyCAREER mode, it was announced today that Michael B. Jordan will be starring in the latest entry in the series, NBA 2K17.
Through motion-capture and voiceover, Jordan will play Justice Young, an up-and-coming basketball player and friend to the player’s character. According to a press release, in-game choices regarding Jordan’s character “will directly impact outcomes on-and-off the court.”
Jordan said of his inclusion in the game, “NBA 2K17 was the perfect platform to connect with a new, unique audience and challenge myself to expand my abilities as an actor. I’m humbled at the opportunity to help influence a franchise that I’ve been a passionate fan of since its first release.”
Alfie Brody, VP of marketing for NBA 2K, said:
We saw tremendous success and engagement among our fans in last year’s MyCAREER narrative, and wanted to deliver an even more tailored experience by partnering with Michael B. Jordan. Working with an actor of Michael’s caliber represents a commitment to giving our fans only the best and continuing to push ourselves as an entertainment platform.
MyCAREER mode has the player create their own character and play through the life of an NBA player. If you’re interested in digging into the finer points of the new MyCAREER mode, check out the NBA 2K blog.
Sports games adding robust story modes seems to be the latest trend in the genre with the forthcoming FIFA 2017 also sporting a similar in-depth story. Honestly, a sports drama RPG, with unique characters, branching stories and decisions affecting how well your character plays their sport of choice, could be a great melding of game genres, especially if you get actors as good as Michael B. Jordan to really flesh out the off-the-court stuff.
You can see Jordan in NBA 2K17 available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PC on Sept. 20.