NBA 2K14 Developer Diary Shows New Gameplay, Blocking in Action

It might be an annual release, but NBA 2K14 is a game its developers are truly proud of. 2K Games puts everything into every edition of its basketball franchise, and that’s often evident in the quality of the final release. However, a new developer diary tells the tale of a team that’s taken its series to the next step – even during a hardware transition year where it might be easy to just coast.

“In a year where a new generation of consoles is coming out, a lot of people are just expecting this to be a minor upgrade,” said Mike Wang, gameplay designer at 2K. “We really wanted to just stomp that right away and make sure everyone understood that this is going to be a fully upgraded game.”

The steps the team has taken to improve the franchise are mainly mechanical, as blocking, dribbling, and everything else surrounding what the players are doing on the court is being pushed to new limits thanks to features like The Pro Stick.

“This year, it really feels like when you get to the rim, the defender can step up in your way, blocks are much better, there’s a lot more contact in the paint… it’s a lot more natural,” he continued. “It’s the one of the biggest upgrades the series has seen in a long time. It’s one of those jewels.”

Expect the much improved NBA 2K14 to land on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Oct. 1, with next-gen versions coming soon after.