NBA 2K10
LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant to decorate the cover.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – June 5, 2009 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that 11-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the highly anticipated basketball video game, NBA 2K10. After leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a remarkable 65-17 regular season record, Bryant’s star power was a natural fit for the 10th anniversary of the hugely popular NBA 2K franchise, the #1 selling basketball video game* and #1 rated NBA simulation **.
“I’ve been playing sports video games for as long as I can remember and honestly, I’ve never seen one come so close to replicating real basketball. What 2K Sports has done is truly incredible and I’m proud to be a partner with them and on the cover of NBA 2K10,” said Bryant, currently seeking his fourth career NBA championship. “2K Sports is constantly improving and adding something new to their game every year that makes them better and better, and that’s exactly what I try to do each season with my game. It’s as if 2K Sports has been on a sports video game championship run for several years now, and I’m not even sure there’s a word for that kind of dominance.”
To support this announcement, 2K Sports brought on legendary, award-winning film director and die-hard New York Knicks fan, Spike Lee, to produce an exclusive TV spot that aired last night to reveal Kobe Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10. Lee, who recently directed the highly publicized documentary on Kobe Bryant, Kobe Doin’ Work (ESPN Films), is famously known for his intense love and passion for the game of basketball.
“It's quite obvious why 2K Sports put Kobe Bryant on the cover of NBA 2K10, which is the best NBA video game,” said Lee, whose recent documentary on Bryant has earned high praise. “One day Kobe and I will go 1 on 1 playing NBA 2K10.”
In conjunction with the reveal of Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, 2K Sports will invite fans to vote on their choice for the official box cover. A dedicated voting site will offer fans a selection of NBA 2K10 box covers to choose from, and the voting period is open now through June 15. The box cover that receives the most votes at the end of the voting period will be unveiled as the cover of NBA 2K10 on June 16th. More information on voting can be found at the official NBA 2K10 voting site, www.2ksports.com/vote.
Bryant’s star power was evident at an early age when he was drafted out of high school in 1996 from Lower Merion HS (PA). He is widely regarded as one of the best players in NBA history. Given the nickname “Black Mamba,” Bryant has won three NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2007-08 NBA season, and most recently, won a gold medal as a member of the 2008 Summer Olympics U.S. Men’s Basketball Team. During his career, Bryant has also led the league in scoring twice, and has been elected to every All-NBA team since 1999, along with being named to nine All-Defensive teams. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has started in every NBA All-Star Game that has been hosted, including winning the All-Star MVP award in 2002, 2007, and 2009.
Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K10 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this fall for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Wii™ system from Nintendo, and Windows PC. For more information, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/nba2k10.
*According to The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 NBA titles from October 2008 through April 2009.
**The NBA 2K series, published by 2K Sports, outranked competitors based on GameRankings.com average scores of 2001-2008 NBA video games.
About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play; and distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.
About the NBA
The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2008 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.
"PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION", "PS" Family logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PSP® system – Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately).
Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo.
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles for current generation platforms, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our reliance on a primary distribution service provider for a significant portion of our products, our ability to raise capital if needed, risks associated with international operations, the matters relating to the investigation by a special committee of our board of directors of the Company's stock option grants and the claims and proceedings relating thereto (including stockholder and derivative litigation, actions by governmental agencies and negative tax or other implications for the Company resulting from any accounting adjustments or other factors) and risks associated with the Company's concluded process to evaluate its strategic alternatives including stockholder litigation arising therefrom. Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008, in the section entitled "Risk Factors," as updated in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2009, and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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CONTACT:
Bryan Lam Brian Roundy
2K Sports Access Communications for 2K Sports
(415) 507-7677 (917) 522-3540
bryan.lam@2ksports.com broundy@accesspr.com
Meg Maise
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
(646) 536-2932
meg.maise@take2games.com