MANILA, Philippines – Filipino NBA 2K fans can now represent Gilas Pilipinas in its acclaimed MyCareer mode with the availability of the national team jersey in the game’s shop, developer Take-Two announced recently.
The 26th iteration of the sports simulation franchise, NBA 2K25, was launched in the country at the NBA Store in Mall of Asia, with UAAP esports athletes and members of eGilas Pilipinas present during the event.
“Obviously, FIBA is a big partner of 2K. There is actually a mode within the game where the players actually get to play the FIBA U19 teams, obviously, there were a few different countries that were under consideration in terms of the jerseys in the game,” Wayne Ng, senior marketing manager of 2K Games, said.
“And of course, it’s the very first time we get to feature the Pilipinas jersey there, so definitely that’s something that’s very important to us. We know there is a huge community here that’s involved in the NBA and in NBA 2K,” he added.
“So very happy that we have the chance to bring that to our players in the Philippines and in Asia.”
#NBA2K25 | LOOK:
— ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕡 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕝 (@philipptionary) September 6, 2024
Gilas Pilipinas’ jersey will be available to wear in The Neighborhood!#BallOverEverything pic.twitter.com/cEVbaFAXBs
2K Sports added some kinks into its system, including the expanded ProPlay animation, where footage from real-life NBA games are translated into the animations of the virtual players, veering away from the motion capture system the game used in previous years.
Over 9,000 animations were added to the game, including 1,500 dribbling animations and 1,000 signature shot animations from most rostered players in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Defensive mechanics were also improved this year, as players can challenge shots better vertically.
Moreover, shot timing has been attuned more realistically, mirroring real-life tendencies of players on the court.
This year, 2024 NBA champion Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, 2024 WNBA MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, and 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter grace the game’s various covers.
2K Sports also acknowledged the importance of the Philippine market, seeing it as one of the biggest and most active in the world.
“The Philippines is one of our biggest markets in terms of involvement, in terms of passion, and in engagement for the NBA 2K series. It’s definitely something that we are taking [as] very important and into account,” Ng said.
“That’s why we work very closely with our partners here at the NBA to make sure that we’re reaching our fans and showing them the love for their passion of the game.”
eGilas is preparing for the upcoming Asia-Pacific invitational to be hosted in the Philippines this October, with the prize and mechanics still being determined.
“We’re still studying on our end how to adjust to the new gameplay, since I play down low, especially those centers who score inside the paint,” Miguel Hubillar, a center for eGilas said.
“The centers, the dunkers, are still being evaluated, since we’re still determining what kind of (player) build is the best.” – Rappler.com