FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, 2K, the publisher of NBA 2K, and the NBA 2K League have entered into an agreement that will offer a unique platform to organize international events for National Federations and the esport gaming community.
The multiyear deal highlights the desire of all parties to further strengthen bridges between eFIBA events and the NBA 2K League by providing an opportunity to identify regional talent, offering eFIBA participants a chance to participate in NBA 2K League events or the NBA 2K League Draft, as well as establishing a clear national team competition system.
The eFIBA calendar will include Qualifiers, four Regional Finals (Africa, Asia including Oceania, Americas and Europe), and the eFIBA World Finals each year.
Starting this fall, the creation of this first eFIBA window, in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), will act as a key lever in extending the reach of esports by making it more accessible and attractive to new players.
Additionally, the collaboration will help grow the global basketball audience in alignment with FIBA’s existing fan engagement strategy. By reaching out to ‘Gen Z’, a demographic that is highly engaged with esports, FIBA has a unique opportunity to leverage the growing popularity of esports and create a new generation of fans.
FIBA’s close working relationship with the NBA 2K League and 2K is significant in the context of the world governing body’s vision to bring together National Federations and esport players worldwide. NBA 2K, is the top-rated and top-selling NBA video game simulation series of the past 21 years* and provides an innovative platform for showcasing skills and passion for the online game.
This agreement also meets FIBA’s clear mission to establish and structure a global competitive gaming ecosystem for national teams. In turn, this will increase the popularity of esports and enlarge the FIBA Family, which is one of FIBA’s current strategic priorities, while also cultivating a new community of fans and players.
Finally, a central strand of the agreement will be the onboarding of more National Federations to the esports ecosystem who will be encouraged and supported in entering national teams for participation in the new competitions.
* According to 2008 – 2022 Metacritic.com
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