Cover art for NBA 2K22 had previously leaked only a couple of weeks ago, which seemed to already give away which players would be adorning the box art. But since NBA 2K titles tend to offer various covers, it was very likely that it was only one example. As of today, that's turned out to be exactly the case since 2K itself has properly announced NBA 2K22 and four unique variants of the box art.
Naturally, each cover belongs to a different edition of NBA 2K22, which are all available for pre-order starting today and scheduled to release worldwide on September 10th. The first is the standard edition, which costs $59.99 on previous-gen platforms like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and $69.99 on the newer PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It features Luka Doncic on the cover, a Slovenian player for the Dallas Mavericks and the Slovenian national team.
He also appears on the cover for the Cross-Gen Digital Bundle, which has been painted by renowned artist Charly Palmer. This version come with both the previous and new-gen versions of the game on either PlayStation or Xbox consoles, and costs $79.99.
Palmer has also done the cover for the 75th Anniversary Edition, which is priced at $99.99 and features three players 2K describes as some of the most iconic NBA players to have revolutionized the league. Those three are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant; the last of whom having now appeared on a NBA 2K cover three times.
There will also be a Japanese exclusive cover featuring Rui Hachimura, a player for the Washington Wizards, as well as a GameStop exclusive cover for the standard edition. That one is special because it features six-time WNBA All Star and WNBA Champion Candace Parker, making it the first time a woman athlete has appeared on the cover of a NBA game.
No gameplay footage has been shared yet, with the official announcement mostly consisting of live-action footage. However, it will once again not be offering any sort of free upgrade path, meaning anyone who buys the PS4 or Xbox One version will still need to pay for the corresponding PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version. This was a controversial decision last year, alongside 2K bumping the price of the game up from $60 to $70.
It's not the only yearly sports title doing something like this either. EA's FIFA 22 and Madden NFL 22 will be releasing for previous and new-gen consoles as well, but their new-gen upgrades will be locked behind the Ultimate Editions of the games.
NBA 2K22 releases worldwide on September 10th for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: 2K