NBA 2K23 reveals more about its upcoming mode The Jordan Challenge
It will include 15 "playable moments from Jordan's career that let players relive his legacy from the early days".
NBA 2K23 is inviting you to "experience Michael Jordan's most iconic moments" in its upcoming Jordan Challenge mode.
The game mode will include 15 "playable moments from Jordan's career that let players relive his legacy from the early days as a college sensation, to his game-winning shot in the 1998 NBA Finals".
Each challenge will include a pre-game interview with a "luminary who was part of what made every game special" and a new presentation package that recreates how the games would've looked as they were originally broadcast in the 80s and 90s.
We'll also get gameplay changes - such as a heavier focus on the post and mid-range game, tighter transition lanes, and more players cutting to the basket - and "hand-checking and hard-hitting body-ups" will have a "different feel".
The mode isn't entirely new, of course; The Jordan Challenge was a "groundbreaking sports game mode" that let players relive Jordan's most memorable moments back in NBA 2K11. But as it's "been over a decade since then", 2K says "felt that now is the perfect time to retell Jordan’s ascension from college standout to NBA legend in NBA 2K23 on both New Gen and Current Gen".
"One of the core differences between our audience in 2K11 and 2K23 is that many of our players in the latter never got the experience of watching Michael Jordan play in-person or live on television," the publisher explains.
"The Jordan Challenge is an immersive experience unlike anything NBA 2K fans have seen, completely rebuilding the challenges from 2K11 and adding five new moments,” said Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA development at Visual Concepts. “Our team took everything into consideration when constructing this game mode; the arenas, the players, the uniforms, the broadcast, and the play style of the era have been accounted for in an effort to give fans a truly authentic and unique playable Jordan experience.”
For more, head on over to the Courtside Report.
With NBA 2K23's 9th September release date rapidly approaching, publisher 2K recently shared a closer look at this latest series instalment's new features - including a new trailer - playing up the concept of "authenticity" across its defensive and offensive tool kit.