2K announced that the cover athlete for two special editions is a bit of a throwback, but it makes sense considering which editions he will be covering.
Michael Jordan will appear on the cover of both editions of the game, the NBA 2K23 Michael Jordan Edition and the “ultra-premium” NBA 2K23 Championship Editionthe publisher announced on Tuesday.
“After making 23 the most recognizable number in sports, it was fitting that for NBA 2K23 we present the Michael Jordan Edition,” said Alfie Brody, vice president of global marketing strategy for NBA 2K. “Additionally, we’re thrilled to introduce an all-new premium edition of the game with the NBA 2K23 Championship Edition, because no other player embodies the word ‘champion’ quite like Jordan. This limited-edition version will also offer players the ability to “Watch on-court action all season long with a 12-month NBA League Pass included. We look forward to celebrating this game with the community when it releases on September 9.”
There will be more cover athlete reveals over the next two days, according to a press release.
2K23 will also see the reintroduction of the Jordan Challenge to “encourage players to recreate 15 iconic moments from Jordan’s illustrious career”.
“The original ten challenges of NBA 2K11 have been completely rebuilt from the ground up and will return this year – alongside five iconic new Jordan moments – for a whole new generation of players to discover,” the developers said in A press release. “These challenges take advantage of over a decade of technological advancements to deliver a whole new way to play through Jordan’s achievements – all housed in its very own game mode.”
Pre-orders for NBA 2K23 go live July 7 and release September 9 on PC alongside Xbox and PlayStation consoles.