Take-Two Interactive Software, makers of the NBA 2K video game, reportedly will pay up to $1.1 billion over the next seven years to the NBA and NBPA. Each update to the series of basketball games is released annually, and NBA 2K18 set a record with 10 million units sold.
The NBA’s esports circuit—the NBA 2K League—is a joint venture of the league and Take-Two Interactive. The game’s realism is a driving force behind its success, so the game relies on licensing league and players association intellectual property, driving the potentially 10-figure fee. The Wall Street Journal first reported the value of the agreement.