Yesterday NBA history was made…No I’m not talking about anything Kobe or the Lakers did in beating the Celtics in the NBA Finals but Michael Jordan was unveiled as the new face of 2K Sports latest NBA video game, NBA 2K11.  Now even the only occasional gamer like myself knows that growing up on 2K and EA or any other franchise of games over the years Jordan’s character was usually missing from the game, even during his playing days.  He was often replaced with some much darker version or white dude with a similar skill set.  This is because Jordan has always had a stipulation in his contract that has prohibitted his likeness from being used without his authorization.

While it still hasn’t been announced if Jordan’s character will be one of the legends that traditionally is “unlocked” but just having Jordan grace the cover is major news and a huge accomplishment.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the past 10 years, but we know we have the best NBA video game ever made here,” Argent said. “So we thought to ourselves how can we embody that and there was only one person on that list who we wanted to have and that was Michael Jordan. Actually getting this done is the most ridiculous win of all-time.”

In addition to being the cover athlete Jordan apparently was involved in the development of the game play which was a huge determinant in him getting involved.  Argent goes on to say that getting Jordan was the “ridiculous win of all-time” and virtually guarantees this edition will be their best selling game of all-time.  Jordan agrees.

“It’s an honor to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K11,” Jordan said, in a statement. “I have no doubt that NBA 2K11 will be a big hit with gamers and basketball fans alike. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court, virtually.”

Again no definitive announcement of Jordan’s inclusion in the game has been announced but if you read into MJ’s comment its pretty clear he will be.  So why so long?  While Jordan has appeared in select games (the last being in 2004) he’s never fully embraced offering his likeness.

As the gaming industry, specifically sports gaming has taken off in the last decade lead by the Electronic Arts’ (EA) Madden franchise.  Game developer are now in sync with the tremendous marketing opportunities available by selling sponsorships for inclusion in the game just like any other sports franchise would do in the stadium and arena.  With the new systems now linked with online access, developers have not only been able to provide real-time marketing content to gamers but also provide their sponsors with tremendous market research data from a targeted consumer group. 

So for Jordan, albeit a few years late, now is a great time to finally release his likeness for game use.  Today Michael Jordan is a multi-billion dollar brand.  His shoes and apparel rival the parent company Nike which created it.  So in addition to just being the face of the game, as you’ll see from the screen shots, his brand came with him.  So this had nothing to do with pride or Jordan giving in but was necessitated by good business sense and yes…money.