• News

NBA 2K16 will get an original story from director Spike Lee

The NBA 2K series doesn't often dive into story, but NBA 2K16 will be one of the few exceptions, with an original story crafted by filmmaker Spike Lee.

Ozzie Mejia

June 4, 2015 3:05 PM

15

The NBA 2K franchise isn't often known for its narrative chops. However, whenever 2K Sports does dabble in this area, it tends to be pretty effective. So in addition to the standard basketball gameplay and usual year-to-year improvements, 2K and Visual Concepts will also add a focus on narrative with this year's NBA 2K16. And they have just the man for the job.

According to ESPN, acclaimed filmmaker (and notorious New York Knicks fan) Spike Lee has been tapped to write the story for NBA 2K16. The story will center around a player named Frequency Vibrations and focus on the full life of a basketball player, which includes both on and off-the-court drama.

"It's about the trials and tribulations of life on a big stage with the money, fame, temptations, family members, the press, fans, all that stuff," Lee told ESPN.

While the story will look to have the Spike Lee grittiness found in films like Do the Right Thing, Visual Concepts vice president of sports development Jeff Thomas does note that the game will stay within the paramters of an E-rated game. NBA 2K16 is set to release in October, with an early release promised to those that pre-order.

Update: And now there's a trailer! Check it out!

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?