NBA2K | Esport Concept Controllers

In early March of 2020, the NBA was one of the first major sports leagues to shut down because of COVID-19. With an attempt to minimize social interactions, all major sports followed suit by also postponing their seasons. Currently, a vast majority of countries are on lockdown, and as such, life as we knew it will never be the same. As the global population adjusts to its new normal, As governments work to get back on their feet, a new norm is developing and many people are feeling the stress of changing times.

What emerges from these lockdowns is social distancing, more people working remotely and connecting through social gaming. As time passes and lockdown measures get stricter, for many people, video games have been one of few sources of social interactions. Esports and Eathletes are now gaining popularity as they currently fill the void for sports. Even ESPN is now broadcasting and organizing NBA2K tournaments with actual basketball players. 

With these tournaments being showcased, I thought it would be a great idea to apply sports team branding to Playstation controllers. This concept focused on each top 18 NBA teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences. By adding sports team branding to the controllers, I hoped to create a product that could resonate with fans of these franchises. 

To create this collection, many factors had to be considered. One of these factors was determining which teams to represent in the collection. The Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers were natural choices as they all have strong fan bases and a lot of legacy attached to them. Next, I had to determine how and where I would place the logo or brand marks on the controllers, as well as the complexity of the designs. Some controllers are very loud and some are simple based on the brand attributes of a franchises’ specific history. 

During the creation of these controllers, Sony released concept images of the Playstation 5 controller. Though it was exciting to get a sneak peek into what it will evolve into, it will still be a couple of years before the console gets released. In the meanwhile, fans can continue watching esports online and create their own tournaments with their friends. With some luck, they might run into their favorite players online and beat them at their own sport. At least online.

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Jason Jay

Founder & Creative Director | CONTENDER Studio
www.contender.studio
info@contender.studio
905.699.5260