NBA 2K18 gets online social space The Neighborhood and dope sneakers

2K Sports has revealed that it’ll introduce a live shared world into NBA 2K18 called The Neighborhood. This is an online social hub that brings together players from around the world as they make their way through their virtual basketball careers.

NBA 2K18 will bring the popular MyPARK, Pro-Am and MyCareer experiences together into one shared world for players to get into. It’s like someone crossed an actual basketball career with The Sims and candy-coated the whole experience.

In The Neighborhood, a player’s MyPLAYER character will live in a neighborhood environment with several locations to visit and interact within. Players will be able to buy new trainers from Foot Locker, practice shooting hoops whilst listening to beats on their JBL headphones, and even bump into the likes of Boston Celtic’s newcomer Kyrie Irving getting a fresh trim at the barbershop. MyPLAYER characters can be customised with outfits, hairdos and tattoos, they can even dance in the street, because why not? All of these experiences affect a player’s rating, and their career is shaped by how they choose to compete and interact within The Neighborhood.

NBA 2K18 will also introduce the Road to 99, an overarching meta-game that rewards users for improving their MyPLAYER’s overall rating, regardless of the game mode.

NBA 2K18 is out on September 19 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Players who pre-order the game will get early access from September 15. The Nintendo Switch version will be released digitally with a physical release to follow later in 2017.