Following in the footsteps of EA’s FIFA a few years ago, 2K have announced that NBA 2K20 will feature the women’s side of the sport for the first time this year. All twelve WNBA teams will debut in NBA 2K20, with many of the top WNBA players, such as like Parker and A’ja Wilson from the Las Vegas Aces having been scanned into the game using the latest iteration of 2K’s motion capture technology.
It’s another big step for a top tier sports game to make, deciding to show and represent a larger part of the sport. While not as avidly watched and supported as the men’s game, it’s great for representation and is one thing that can help encourage girls to start playing.
As Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks said, “Growing up, I always remembered watching male athletes on TV and playing as them in video games. Now, to have the WNBA be in the position we are and to have women featured prominently in NBA 2K20, we are allowing young girls and boys to have female athletes as role models.”
While only featured in certain parts of the game, it doesn’t mean that any less effort has been put in to recreate the teams and players. Candace continued, “The 2K team has done an amazing job of making sure to not just put women into the game playing men’s basketball, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work they’re doing to make this as real and authentic as possible to women’s basketball. I’m proud to be a part of this team paving the way for the future.”
NBA 2K20 will be out for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch on 6th September.
Source: press release
