2K Archives

Play Company & 2K Announce Multi-Year Partnership Introducing New ‘NBA 2K’ Tournament Service

April 20, 2025

HipHopWired Featured Video

Play Company / 2K

Play Company and 2K are partnering to give NBA 2K players another way to take on each other and back up all the trash-talking using a new dedicated tournament system.

The new, groundbreaking multi-year partnership announced last week allows NBA 2K players to win monetary prizes through online tournaments, giving them the ability to truly put their money where their mouth is, if they are as skilled in NBA 2K as they claim to be.

The new tournament system, called Play NBA 2K, will be integrated within The Play Company’s flagship product, Play OS. The deal also makes Play OS the official tournament platform for the game. It will introduce a dedicated menu button in the NBA 2K25 Play Now section for eligible players, allowing them to learn how to gain access to NBA 2K tournaments.

Through Play NBA 2K, players can participate in free-to-enter tournaments and entry-fee-based tournaments, providing NBA 2K fans with even more opportunities to compete in the basketball video game.

“Unlocking the ability for NBA 2K players to earn real cash prizes through competitive play marks a major milestone for us and the industry. We’re incredibly grateful to the team at 2K for helping make this transformative partnership a reality,” said The Play Company CEO, Brandon Pitts.

“2K’s partnership with The Play Company will further expand the ways that we are trying to build engagement and connect with our players,” said 2 K’s head of lifestyle and content marketing Ronnie “Ronnie 2K” Singh. “For us the deal with The Play Company serves as yet another way to quench the thirst of our competitive 2K community,” Singh said.

The service will go live with Play Now and MyTEAM tournaments. Additional tournament formats will be rolling out in the months ahead. Gamers can join Tournaments by downloading the Play OS mobile app on iOS or visiting this website.

NBA 2K Continues To Find Ways To Keep Players Engaged

NBA 2K remains at the forefront, allowing its players to enhance their gameplay experience and earn money. There the NBA 2K League that partners with the NBA, allowing those who are exceptionally good at the game to make a living playing 2K and be treated like actual athletes and there was the players only tournament that took place during the pandemic featuring some the league’s biggest stars who are also good at NBA 2K.

We are intrigued to see how successful this new partnership will be.

2K & Hangar 13’s ‘TopSpin 2K25’ Looks & Feels Like The Franchise Hasn’t Lost A Step

djfrosty

March 12, 2024

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / TopSpin 2K25
2K continues to build its sports video game library. The video game publishing company is looking for an ace with TopSpin 2K25.
It’s been several years, 13 years to be exact, since Hangar 13 released 2011’s TopSpin 4 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii consoles.
Flash forward to 2024, and 2K is resurrecting the franchise and adding its signature flare to the famed tennis video game franchise with TopSpin 2K25.
I had the opportunity to get hands-on with TopSpin 2K25 while visiting Palm Springs, which also happens to be the home of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
I didn’t know what to expect, especially since I had never played a TopSpin game. My only video game tennis experience came from SEGA’s Virtua Tennis on the Dreamcast in 2000.
Yeah, I know, don’t judge me.
After my 2 hour experience, I walked away with plenty of thoughts.
The 2K Presentation Is Very Present
Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / TopSpin 2K25
Hangar 13 linking up 2K is very evident the moment you look at this game. It screams 2K’s touch thanks to the on-point presentation, beautiful arenas, and, of course, gorgeous and damn near life-like player models.
We saw several arenas during our demo, including Indian Wells and Arthur Ashe Stadium. As expected with any 2K Sports game, the attention to detail is on point.
Hangar 13 fully utilizes next-generation consoles and PCs to bring the arenas, crowds, and players to life while delivering authentic tennis action in video game form.
You will notice everything from how the players move on the different court surfaces to their grunts when hitting the ball, the crowd reactions, and even their signature celebrations.
TopSpin 2K25 isn’t as visually impressive as the NBA 2K series, but in its simplicity, there is still something to marvel at, and it still has that signature touch we expect from a 2K Sports game.
TopSpin 2K25 Is Fun & Challenging
Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / TopSpin 2K25
During the preview, of course, before I hopped on the court with any of the pros, I went to school to learn the ABCs of the game with the legend John McEnroe serving as my instructor.
Once I was done with training, I started with a singles match; of course, I picked Serena Williams and faced off against Steffi Graf.
From the onset of the match, I was getting my ass handed to me, quickly going down two sets. This was on the normal difficulty. But once I got into a flow, I did mount an incredible comeback, something Serena would do in real life, and it was pretty rewarding to walk away with the victory after it looked like the computer had my number.
For my next match, I decided to bump the difficulty up to the hard setting, this time running with Coco Gauff and facing Serena Williams, and it wasn’t close.
On hard, you almost have to be a picture of perfection, making sure every return hits the green on the NBA 2K-like shot meter that tells you if your swing is either bad, good, or perfect.
It’s not disheartening on the harder difficulties. Instead, it makes you want to step your game up.
I also played a doubles match, and those matches are very challenging and much harder to win, being that you’re playing with a controlled teammate. It was fun to see the small volley back and forth that took place at the net while also being sure to stay vigilant because the ball can come your way.
I didn’t win the two doubles matches I tried, and I would have gone for a third, but my time ran out. I definitely wanted to run it back to get a W because it was so much fun.
The Controls Are Buttery Smooth
Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / TopSpin 2K25
As far as controls, TopSpin 2K25 looks as good as it feels. I’ll even go as far as to say the game feels more responsive than the latest NBA 2K video game.
You never feel like you don’t fully control your player. Navigating the court, running toward the ball, and returning shots all feel buttery smooth.
The real question is, how does that feel when you play the game online? NBA 2K can be a miserable experience when lag is introduced. I imagine the same can be said if you’re playing in a TopSpin match and your opponent’s connection is causing some severe lag, leading to annoying input delays.
But we’ll have to wait until the game drops to get that question answered.
Game, Set, Match?
Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / Top Spin 2K25
Based on the small sample size I experienced, TopSpin 2K25 looks like it’s back and better than ever. It seems to be checking all the boxes for what a next-gen tennis video game should look and feel like.
During our preview, we saw a signature MyPLAYER feature and a mode allowing you to take your amateur to tennis greatness and become a Grand Slam champion in the MyCAREER mode.
For those who would rather play the game with established tennis greats, TopSpin 2K25 boasts an impressive roster featuring tennis legends like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, and Andre Agassi.
You can also play as current stars like Francis Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, and others. Hangar 13 boasts a roster of 24 superstars available.
TopSpin 2K25 features four editions of the game: Standard Edition, Standard Cross-Gen Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Grand Slam Edition.
Source: Hangar 13 / 2K / Top Spin 2K25
The Standard Edition and Standard Cross-Gen Edition launch Friday, April 26, 2024; Deluxe and Grand Slam Edition owners get three days of early access.
[embedded content]

1. Top Spin 2K25