Basketball legend Michael Jordan will be the cover star of NBA 2K23 Special Editions, and 2K is bringing back the iconic Jordan Challenges to celebrate. The publisher also confirmed a September 9 release date and announced that the six-time NBA champion will grace the covers of the aptly named Michael Jordan Edition and the limited Championship Edition.
Jordan was chosen not only because 2K23 fits his iconic jersey number, but also, according to 2K, because its spirit fits the theme of this year’s MyPlayer campaign mode: Answer the Call. “Having made 23 the most recognizable number in esports, it was only fitting that we introduce the Michael Jordan Edition for NBA 2K23,” said Alfie Brody, vice president of global marketing strategy for NBA 2K.
While the pricing of these editions hasn’t been announced – nor does the cover star of the Standard Edition – last year’s Special Edition (likely the Michael Jordan Edition) cost $99.99 compared to the standard price of $59.99 / $69.99 each by console generation.
However, the Championship Edition is a brand new tier of NBA 2K Editions that comes with an annual subscription to NBA League Pass granting access to every actual, real NBA game on TV. Since this costs $50 alone, those looking to buy this most expensive edition should expect a hefty price hike.
2K hasn’t given too much away about what’s included in each edition, but has confirmed that NBA 2K11’s iconic Jordan Challenges will return in this year’s game. The Jordan Challenges were a series of ten challenges that required players to recreate defining moments in Jordan’s career.
However, there will be a slight upgrade of 15 different challenges in 2K23, which brings moments from Jordan’s NBA career with the Chicago Bulls alongside his time on Team USA. All ten original challenges are recreated from scratch and presented in their own game mode alongside the remaining five.
2K23 will mark Jordan’s fourth appearance on an NBA 2K cover, first in 2K11 (alongside the original Jordan Challenges), then in 2K12, followed by the 2K16 Special Edition.
2K promised more details to come soon, while a deeper look at the Jordan Challenges will be released sometime this summer.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally thinks about tweeting @thelastdinsdale. He’ll be talking about The Witcher all day.