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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The research for this report was gathered and compiled by Aaron McKinney, Erasmo Nunez, Kiley Kohler, and Phillip Witzke
over the video game NBA 2K17. The goal of the research was to study the product, company, and industry that involves the game.
The group analyzed advertising of the product through textual analysis to better understand the message of the company and its
intended target audience. With the analytics of a textuals analysis we were able to see how the company sees so much profit year
after year.
Research was also conducted to take a closer look at competitors and product features and benefits. Through primary and sec-
ondary research, the group has developed an in-depth understanding of the NBA 2K franchise and how they remain one of the top
sports video games.
This specific marketing research report gives and indepth over view of how the game is sold and who is buying it, not necessar-
ily the inner working of the game play people keep going back to. We got to understand how 2K sports came to be, and who the
parent company is in this dog eat dog market.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background Information................................................................................Page 4
Company Name.....................................................................................Page 4
Product Features and Benefits.......................................................................Page 5
Advertisements..............................................................................................Page 7
General Analysis.....................................................................................Page 7
Company History of Advertising............................................................Page 9
One By One Analysis......................................................................Page 9
“Time to Assemble”.................................................................Page 9
“#Friction”.............................................................................Page 10
“Happy 2K Day”....................................................................Page 10
“Accolades”...........................................................................Page 10
“Momentous”.......................................................................Page 11
Audience......................................................................................Page 11
Reference.....................................................................................................Page 12
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Company Name
Headquartered just north of San Francisco, with offices spanning the globe across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia,
2K is a video game publisher managing some of the most creative, respected and premium brands in games today. Founded
in 2005 within Take Two Interactive, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for PC, console and mobile plat-
forms. Their world-class team of engineers, developers, graphic artists and publishing professionals are stewards of a growing
library of critically-acclaimed franchises such as Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Darkness, Mafia, NBA 2K, Sid Meier’s
Civilization, WWE 2K, and XCOM. (2K Online About Us, n.d.)

Owned by Take-Two Interactive, it’s been proven that NBA 2K is a top leading game series bringing in millions of dollars of
revenue to the company. (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017) On January 24, 2005, Take-Two Interactive acquired
Visual Concepts and its Kush Games subsidiary, as well as the intellectual property of the 2K sports game series, from Sega for
US$24 million. (Fieldman, 2018)

Since these accolades, the company has flourished with a plethora of other games as well; WWE 2K, NBA 2K, XCOM 1 and
2, and other games as well. (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017) In 2017 alone, Take Two Interactive, the parent
company of 2K games, profited $1.7 Billion, (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017)
Most of the money the company makes goes back into cost of software development and licensing. Most revenue that
the company acquires comes video game sales. (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017) 2K sports has an exceptional
record of financial growth, with each year averaging 12% of income growth to the company. (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual
Report, 2017) They are an established company.

The organizations strengths are positioned within their own innovative methods of game development and their company
has had a rich history of development and reach. A weakness of the company is that the 2K franchise focuses on producing,
advertising, and selling console games rather than mobile versions of the games.

Selling mobile games has proven to be a more financially successful investment (van Dreunen, 2016). NBA 2K has the op-
portunity to continue updating its games as new NBA stars rise each year and different teams become successful. It also has the
opportunity to create and advertise games on various gaming consoles and mobile devices. A threat to NBA 2K is the creation
of other sports games that mimic real-life competition. Popularity in mobile games within competing companies also threatens
2K. The computer and video game industry has grown from focused markets to mainstream. They took in about US$9.5 billion
in the US in 2007, 11.7 billion in 2008, and 25.1 billion in 2010 (ESA Publications Annual, 2015).
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 Although they are not the main driving force right now, indite games like Minecraft, Spez, and Don’t Starve, are leading
a small impact on the industry as a whole, generating millions of dollars and having around a million users combined. (The
Gaming Industry - An Overview, 2015) Recently we have seen a larger shift to casual and mobile gaming; in 2016, the mobile
gaming market is estimated to have taken $38 billion in revenues, compared to $6 billion for the console market and $33 bil-
lion for personal computing gaming. (van Dreunen, 2016) Games centered on virtual reality and augmented reality equipment
also arose to the top around this ear also, with cell phones being able to use their cameras to engage an augmented reality
game. As of 2014, newer game companies arose that vertically integrate live operations and publishing such as crowd funding
and other direct-to-consumer efforts, rather than relying on a traditional publishers, and some of these have grown to substan-
tial size. (Radof, 2014)

Product History
NBA 2K17 is a basketball simulation video game featuring the National Basketball Association. Several game modes are includ-
ed: MyCareer, where the player creates a customizable player and plays through their career, MyGM and MyLeague, both modes
where the player controls an entire organization, and MyTeam, where the player creates a team to compete against other players’
teams.
The game models real-life presentation of basketball games, such as crowd animations, commentary, pre-game, halftime,
and post-game shows, camera angles, lighting, and player animations (NBA 2K17 Review, 2016). NBA 2K17 can be purchased at
Walmart, Target, GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, and the 2K Store for $39.99 (Buy Now, 2018). NBA 2K17 was released on Septem-
ber 20, 2016.
Players who per-ordered the game received it on September 16, 2016 (NBA 2K17, 2018). 2K17 is part of the 2K franchise of
games that are updated annually.
To date NBA 2K is the highest grossing NBA game on the market and the most successful of the 2K sports games. It is the 18th
installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K16 (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017). The 2K games
preceding 2K17 featured older NBA stars and less real life graphics and actions.
The motto for NBA 2K17 is “Legends Live On” because the video game brings back
older NBA stars as avatars in the game. The NBA 2K franchise also claims to be the
most authentic sports video game with the creation of NBA 2K17. (NBA 2K17,
2018).
The product focuses on the graphics of the game to portray real-life
actions, behaviors, and emotions, of well-known basketball players.
Along with better graphics, the game is updated with new players,
different music, various playing modes, and new actions to convince
consumers they need the newest version of NBA 2K.
Product Features and Benefits

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ADVERTISEMENTS
General Analysis
In the NBA basketball video game NBA 2K17, the comprehensive message is to upgrade to the newest version of the game.
The advertisements show the updated graphics, avatars and teams. By featuring the current crop of NBA superstars, 2K appeals
to the audience to vicariously enter the game. The graphics feature players performing moves that mimic the real NBA superstars,
attitudes that go beyond the court and action that is intended to intrigue excitement and a reckless pace of game play.

The YouTube advertisements used by 2K to promote the release of the new graphics was scrutinized by sampling three years of
releases. There tends to be little difference in the advertisements by year. Ads from 2016, 2017 and 2018 were sampled with five of
the 2016 generated ads for 2K17 used for analysis due in large part to the availability of advertisements. What is notably different
is the graphic quality. The quality of graphics trend toward being less and less angular to being much more avatar-like in human
appearance. In fact, the 2018 ad featured on twitter was difficult to differentiate between the real and the computer generated.
When we viewed the ads for the first time we made sure to go into it with an open mind and to not pay attention to details, only the
most prominent details. However, with each new view we gave to the ads we saw details that would go unnoticed like color, audi-
ence, and music tempo.

The overall design of the ads is a basic background of a cheering throng of fans. However, in the foreground and as the focus,
individual player avatars are focused on with abrupt cuts between superstars that are timed to the beat of the Imagine Dragon
songs. For example, in the ad titled “Momentum”, avatars movements are timed with the beat of the songs to display the quality of
the graphics and create excitement with the beat of the song. In fact, with the exception of Assemble, all advertisements use only
avatars.

The ad approach is masculine, dark, and fast paced. The colors that are used in the ads are associated with actual NBA teams,
but there are camera flares and hues placed over them that are in red. Red creates a sense of urgency, it can also stimulate the body,
raising blood pressure, heart rates, and is strongly associated with movement. (How to Use the Psychology of Colors When Market-
ing, 2017)

Ads like these are some of the most common for sporting games, fast paced, focusing on movement and on the ambiance of
an audience cheering you on. Dark and subject focused, either on the game or a player making a move, the ads all feature players
in actual game play. (NBA 2K17 - #Friction, 2016). In the ad “Accolades,” there was a red hue present every time a review came on
the screen or focused from the contents to the ad, setting a tone of attention. Shown in the ads were some of the most prominent
players in today’s game, including Paul George, Kevin Durant and more. In the “Assemble” ad they use real NBA players, showing
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them going to the gaming headquarters to be inserted into the game. They had an “it’s time to go to work” mindset, informing
each other that it was “time to assemble” and create the game.

The physical appearance involves the updated graphics, making the players stand out and look real. In the game you can see
that the players have sweat running down their faces, the physical flaws of the avatar such as tattoos, and how emotionally invested
in the game the avatars become. Personality is shown by the avatars reactions to made shots and wrong calls. The gestures made
by the avatars are yelling and signature moves that the real player uses during games. They show Damian Lillard performing his
signature move by tapping his wrist after a made basket. Varies roles are being shown throughout such as fans interacting with the
players or the mascot shooting a t-shirt gun into the crowd.

The target audience is most likely a male in their late teens or twenties who is athletic and knows the game of basketball. (Whit-
taker, 2016) We can tell this by the content of the ad not detailing the game play of the game, but rather on the aesthetics of the
game that will lead to a basket baller to play the game. If they were to tell you about the rules of basketball then the target audi-
ence would shift to a younger one that is more unaware to what game play looks like. In the ads are mostly men, all the characters
playing are men. All the avatars are fit and athletic, following rosters of multiple NBA teams. The environment is a traditional one of
most NBA games, screaming fans and a lot of excitement. Even mascots shooting shirts into the audience. (“NBA 2K17 - Momen-
tous”, 2016)

One way NBA 2K could enhance their advertising

By is by making more ads similar to the Time to Assemble ad. Time to Assemble uses NBA superstars as actors to get gamers
excited about them being featured in the newest version of the NBA 2K game. Using real-life characters in the ad allows for more
humor and entertainment around the product, creating a more positive image. A lot of the other ads only show the video game
graphics and different game play in the game. A second way to make the advertising message more clear is to add dialogue and
text to the videos. This provides viewers with more information about features and pricing of the game. NBA 2K could also focus on
spreading its ads to different platforms. Most of the ads for 2K are only found on YouTube and are not featured on television com-
mercials or social media.

In game development of the NBA 2k series, 2K has failed to reach out to the female demographic. In a recent article, PwC, an
independent consulting and information company, noted that 22 percent of women say they are involved with sports, compared to
18 percent of men, indicating an early trend of women that are more involved than their male counterparts, as reported by alistdai-
ly.com. (Duran, 2016). The company needs to adjust accordingly to include the WNBA just as it has the NBA. In doing so, they could
potentially double their market, thus doubling their revenue.

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ADVERTISEMENTS
Company’s History of Advertising
The parent company, Take-Two Interactive, spent roughly $285 million on advertising in 2017 alone, but did not specify on which
brands of their organization. (Take-Two Interactive 2017 Annual Report, 2017) NBA 2K17 heavily advertised on social media, pri-
marily on YouTube by posting longer version of its television spots, primarily targeted at the returning buyer. Those spots that have
run on television, tend to be longer (1:00 v :30). They show the enhanced roster as well as the updated graphics and teams. This is
in keeping with their stated selling/marketing plan in the TakeTwo financial report.

ONE BY ONE AD ANALYSIS

Time To Assemble
In NBA 2K17’s ad “Time to Assemble” several NBA su-
perstars are featured such as Paul George, Kevin Durant, Kyrie
Irving, Draymond Green, Andre Drummond, Karl-Anthony Towns,
and Jimmy Butler.
The players are shown participating in leisurely activities
like playing tennis, sitting in a hot tub, and getting a massage
during their off season. In the middle of practicing martial arts,
Paul George calls Kevin Durant saying “It’s time to assemble.”
The message is passed on to the rest of the NBA superstars while
they are in the middle of their offseason activities.
The ad then shows all of the players enter the NBA 2K
headquarters together where they are scanned and become av-
atars in the NBA 2K17 video game. The last part of the ad shows
the players as avatars in the game making plays, scoring points,
and hyping themselves up during games. The ad shows off the
new 2K17 players, updates graphics, and updated game play.
(NBA 2K, 2016)
#Friction
In the advertisement #FRICTION, Imagine Dragons song “Friction” thumps underneath
a cacophony of red tinged action, aimed at drawing established NBA 2K users into the
hyped-up graphics and enhanced game play features offer in the 2K17 version. Aimed
at game-playing millennial males between 18 and 35, #FRICTION aims to establish
and even stronger foothold in the market. The ad contains multiple bits of information.
It is very graphic heavy and shows multiple of the notable players posturing prior to
tip-off. It then shows them in play, flying high toward a resounding slam dunk, a long
three-point shot, their footwork, defense and then more high-flying lane drives that
flash to the names on their jerseys. (NBA 2K, 2016)

Happy 2k Day
Beginning with a steady beat Happy 2K Day presents itself with a roaring crowd
and excitement from the players. With smooth dance moves from players and mascots,
as individuals express their signature moves. As you see players hitting shots and slam-
ming the ball down, everyone is showing the electrifying energy the game presents.
Players were dressed in their uniforms and warm up suits.
Throughout the ad players continue to pump up the crowd generating excitement
leading up to the purchase of the game. The ad is informing viewers that the game is
now available to purchase. In this new game users are looking for the updated graph-
ics, players and new game play gestures that has been added to the game.

Accolades
Accolades, the add, is just what is says; #ACCOLADES. Here we seen the extreme
graphics and avatars mixing it up on the hardwood with the accolades of the industry
media mixed in to give the game even more credibility among prospective buyers.
Like previous advertisements, Accolades also includes dancers/cheerleaders, but in
an expanded version and from more teams. Likewise, this ad also includes commen-
tators, which we have not seen before. It also has one of the commentators looking for
notable play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan. All of this is in an effort to give the game
player as much of a vicarious playing experience as possible without having sweat
dripped on them.
Momentous
In the ad “Momentous” the updated graphics and NBA superstars featured in the
game are the major aspects emphasized. The ad shows different NBA players making
plays, scoring points, and hyping themselves up as the play against their opponents.
Players also show facial expression and body language through the detailed graphics.
The graphics and game play mimic the real-life NBA experience. The ad plays intense
pump-up music to get players in the zone.

Audience
The typical consumer of this game is male millennial, specifically the heterosexual male. Those shown in the ad tend to be
younger; some are teens and some are college to young professionals. They are targeting across all races, as seen in the back-
ground of the crowds. However, their real focus is placed on those who can imagine themselves in the game, controlling, moving
and scoring, which has no documented demographic but can be presumed to be those of the same millennial generation. It Would
appear that the young urban African-American is being targeted, but by showing the top players in the league, they reach across
race demographics to focus on those who are fans of a particular athlete.
Our target market is primarily what is known as the gaming generation of 18-35 millennial males. We know this because of
the advertisements feature music that is popular with that generation. Likewise, we see this demographic pictured in the viewable
segmentations of the audience. Race is not an issue with the advertisements as they tend to reach across racial boundaries.
As with the music, we can see additional suggested selling graphics at the end of the all the advertisements. These feature
two of 2K Sports other basketball games, Legends, which would feature legends of he game, primarily those who played when the
older segment of the target market would have been adolescents. Furthermore, they also suggestive sell the “Dream Team” ver-
sion, which would have been the height of the 18-35 millennial male’s adolescent basketball experiences, which features the 1992
Olympic gold medal winning team. Both suggest they are targeting established gamers who have money and time, which would
be the upper end of the target range, while the graphics and game play are designed to attract the lower end of the market.

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 Resources

Section 1
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Buy Now. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.2k.com/nba2k17/buy/

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Section 2
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Section 3
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Zp8&feature=youtu.be

NBA 2K. (2016, August 22). #FRICTION [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/cQKDcMxTAfw

NBA 2K. (2016, September 16). Happy #2K Day [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ZiuZ8DlkNrU

NBA 2K. (2016, October 13). Accolades [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tm75kgX0bcQ

NBA 2K. (2016, October 13). Momentous [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/t89CaiUHZWc

Section 4
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van Dreunen, Joost (2016). “Welcome to the New Era: Games as Media”. GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved from https://www.
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N.a. (N.d.) “FIFA18” Retrieved from https://www.easports.com/fifa 12

 Section 5

NBA 2K17 Review. (September 21, 2016). Retreived from http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/09/22/nba-2k17-review

Buy Now. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.2k.com/nba2k17/buy/

NBA 2K17. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.2k.com/games/nba-2k17

NBA 2K. (2016, September 9). Time to Assemble [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOkJqkS-
BZp8&feature=youtu.be

NBA 2K. (2016, August 22). #FRICTION [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/cQKDcMxTAfw

NBA 2K. (2016, September 16). Happy #2K Day [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ZiuZ8DlkNrU

NBA 2K. (2016, October 13). Accolades [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tm75kgX0bcQ

NBA 2K. (2016, October 13). Momentous [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/t89CaiUHZWc

Duran, H.B. (2016, December 21). From Consoles To ESports: Female Gamer Trends Of 2016. Retreived from http://www.
alistdaily.com/strategy/female-gamer-trends/
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trends.com/2014/06/psychology-of-colors.html

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