Kobe Bryant Named Cover Athlete For NBA 2K21's Mamba Forever Edition
Continuing its string of announcements, 2K Games has announced that the late Kobe Bryant will be the cover athlete for NBA 2K21's "Mamba Forever Edition." The announcement comes after 2K revealed the other cover athletes for its other versions of the upcoming game. Within the NBA Kobe Bryant was an icon, becoming a five-time NBA champion, a league MVP in 2008, and an eighteen-time NBA All-Star.
His tragic death earlier this year was felt around the world, so to NBA fans, Bryant gracing the cover of a future NBA 2K game was believed to be a foregone conclusion. Earlier this week, Damian Lillard was named the cover athlete for the standard, current-gen edition of the title, while, controversially, rookie Zion Williamson was announced to be the cover for the standard, next-gen edition. Fans who were expecting a Kobe Bryant on the cover were vocal in their disapproval of selecting a rookie who has not played a full NBA season, instead of a beloved Hall of Famer.
Now it would appear that 2K had one more trick up its sleeve, as it has announced via Twitter that the Black Mamba would be the cover athlete of both the current-gen and next-gen "Mamba Forever Edition." None of this is exactly new, as the NBA 2K franchise has had a more expensive edition of its games for the last few years now, and Kobe Bryant has been the cover athlete on three separate occasions already (NBA 2K10, NBA 2K17, and now NBA 2K21). However, basketball fans are split on the announcement. While plenty of fans are happy to have Bryant on the cover again, others see the move as a cash grab by 2K Games in an effort to profit off of his death.
The "Mamba Forever Edition" will cost $99.99 USD on both current-gen and next-gen consoles and includes preorder bonuses such as extra VC (NBA 2K's in-game currency), bonus skill points for MyPlayer mode, extra MyTeam cards, and other in-game accessories. If players buy the "Mamba Forever Edition" on their current-gen consoles, they will get the standard version for free on next-gen. Conversely, if they purchase it on next-gen consoles, they get the standard version for free on current-gen. At the moment, it seems that progress in NBA 2K21's MyPlayer mode will not carry over across generations, and there is no way to get the "Mamba Forever Edition" on both generations without paying the $99.99 twice.
Not letting players carry over their progress after spending almost $100 on a yearly release has caused NBA fans to object to the announcement. On both the NBA and NBA2K subreddits, fans have been picking the announcement apart. As user Kinglink put it,
"To those who don't get the problem. They didn't 'put him on the cover' they put him on special editions covers because they knew people would pay 20-25 dollars for the 'Mamba edition' over the base. This is the difference between honoring his legacy, and trying to make a buck off of his death.
Zion Williamson is a great player, but Kobe should be on both covers, not just the "I paid more money" versions. They're directly profiting of his death and that's scummy."
It is worth noting that while some fans were vocal about their opposition to the announcement, other players were happy to see Kobe on the over, and few have even already announced their preorders. Kobe Bryant's death sent tremors throughout not just the basketball world, but the world as a whole. Bryant was a hero to many and a staple of the NBA for decades, so of course, players would covet another Kobe Bryant NBA 2K cover. Knowing this, charging players $99.99 USD for a next-gen upgrade that does not transfer players' progress feels anti-consumer, but that has never slowed sales for the NBA 2K franchise before.
NBA 2K21 will arrive on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia on September 4th. It will arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X in Holiday 2020.
Sources: NBA 2K/Twitter, NBA2K/Reddit