Ronnie 2K on NBA 2K23, the future of the game and more
The newest edition of NBA 2K23 has finally been revealed, with Devin Booker gracing the cover of the iconic game. Booker joins Michael Jordan, as well as Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird as the cover athletes this year.
The 2K franchise has grown massively over the past few years and has become part of the NBA canon. It brings together fans of basketball, video games, sneakers, fashion, music and more. Year after year, the platform has grown in importance and depth.
In an exclusive interview, Rookie Wire caught up with Ronnie Singh, affectionately known as Ronnie 2K, to ask him about the launch of NBA 2K23.
Passion for the game drove Singh early on. He went from managing the early 2K forums to something of a cultural icon. As he explained it, he became something of an early influencer.
Check out the entire conversation below:
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Cameron Tabatabaie: Congratulations on the success of the game. Let’s start with 2K23 and work backward. How did you land Devin Booker as the cover athlete?
R2K: Well this is the “Year of Greatness.” I showed him the cover back in March, and the production shoot for that was early March, late February. So this has been a long time coming.
He was having a great season and obviously finished strong. We’re all about the trajectory, the rise. Devin has just been a great partner for us. He just seemed like the most obvious fit.
CT: Tell me about the cover art. It’s different.
R2K: It’s actually the first time we’ve done a real photo shoot around the cover, which surprises people. You always think we have that player participation, but it’s challenging because, during the regular season, it’s hard to get these guys’ time.
But Booker was so invested, it was so important to him and it really made a big difference. I mean it’s just been universally heralded as one of our best covers ever. I think him involving himself in the process made us get to somewhere really special.
CT: Did you know Shams (Charania) was going to tweet out that Devin was the cover athlete early?
R2K: So, I’ll tell you the truth. He reached out to me, and Shams and I have a great relationship. He said, ‘Hey, I know he’s the cover athlete. What are we gonna do?’ So our amazing PR team came up with a plan to involve (Shams), and what ended up being great was that it coincided with his contract signing.
To be part of that nomenclature of the league, that’s what we’re striving to do. Kendall Jenner and Kris Jenner posted the cover. It’s amazing that 2K is a part of that.
CT: Tell me a little bit about the partnership with the WNBA, with Every Kid Sports, and with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird.
R2K: So I’ll start with the cover athletes. Obviously, two of the greatest of all time. To get to partner with them, especially in Sue’s final season, I’m really excited we’re representing the league in that way.
And of course, Every Kid Sports, to be able to really actively contribute to the game, and women’s basketball, especially for the youth, is very, very important to us and something we’re so excited about. I’m proud we’re involved.
The women’s game is obviously growing. We’re putting all of our emphasis on that, and growing ourselves. So to have those two represent NBA 2K23 in the year of greatness is just extraordinary.
CT: And let’s round it out, MJ. Tell me about MJ.
R2K: Well, what can you say? He is the greatest of all time. It is the 23rd 2K. I mean, that’s pretty simple. But I think it’s actually bigger than that.
We are stamping our best titles with Jordan years. I think it’s like a statement that this is our third year on next-gen. We feel very confident about this product — it’s going to be the greatest one yet. Why not put the greatest athlete of our time on the cover?
CT: Greatest of all time? What are the features that you’re most excited about in 2K23?
R2K: I really love the Jordan challenges to 2K11 and for those to come back and then us to add a couple, I think 2K is a device to educate about basketball.
I think Mark Cuban said a few years ago that 2K was such a tool to inform young people about the tradition of the game. I’ve talked to so many NBA players and legends that have said it really allows their grandkids or son or nephew to know who I played with, to be educated about those teams. I think that’s something that 2K as a platform for discovery is about. Whether it’s cool clothes, fashion or basketball education, 2K’s got it all.
CT: Tremendous. I’ve been asking everyone this, but what two teams will you play with first?
R2K: It’s still kind of early with free agency stuff. Kevin Durant’s my favorite player, so let’s see where he ends up.
I have always traditionally played a lot of MyCareer, I think a lot of people would say the same thing.
CT: So you’re basically everywhere with 2K. Where did you start with the company?
R2K: Well, I started actually as a community manager, and even before that, I was on the forums as just a known personality. A job position opened up and it happened to be like 10 minutes from where I grew up. It’s kind of like one of those manifest things, like you couldn’t write it.
And then with the rise of social media and storytelling around stars in the league, it really became about aligning with people. People really appreciate personalities over brands now. Influencer marketing wasn’t quite there and so, in a way, maybe like a little bit of an OG in that department.
CT: I was going to ask, is it a conscious marketing choice or something that kind of evolved?
R2K: Probably a little bit of both, but probably a lot more organic than maybe people think. I think it’s just something that happened. I was the fan that just loved to talk about the game and now I’m doing really cool stuff.
Now, it’s a lot of work for people. As you’ve seen, I’m kind of the point person for the influencers and the relationships around the culture of the game. So there’s a lot of work, but it’s been the ride of a lifetime. And I’m just so fortunate to work with amazing developers and marketers who have totally changed this franchise over the decade-and-a-half I’ve been here.
CT: So there were a lot of influencers at this launch. Where does 2K fit into the culture?
R2K: I think it’s a platform for discovering all these musicians, all these clothing brands, and people feel like they can launch their product through our game. It’s a marketing device for that.
So, in a way, we’re influential to the influencer. I always have something to provide the influencer, to help them grow either their brand, what they’re selling, or their music. I feel like 2K has become a platform to expand their own business.
CT: So what does 2K33 look like?
R2K: We’ll be on Mars, I don’t know. I’ll tell you one thing: There is a long-term strategy — these things don’t happen over the course of time.
Take the Quick Game feature in 2K10, that used to just be the way you would play. But then we developed MyCareer, but it was with a long-term vision of having a 2K league eventually and that didn’t happen for years.
But every step of the way, face scans in 2K15, the ability to play MyPlayer online in 2K14– all of these were steps that were part of a long-term process. We’re just scratching the surface.
Everybody’s always like, are you gonna do better next year? We always find a way, but it’s also about evolving the technology.
