NBA pre-season was canceled, and who knows if there will even be a season. With the ongoing lockout, there's been some concern about the impact on 2K Sports' NBA 2K12, but so far, that impact would appear to be minimal. "Store checks suggest the title is currently 'flying off the shelves' with several stores indicating strong midnight openings. A few stores suggested the title sold out quickly and they had to restock," indicated Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia.
While last year's NBA 2K11 sold-in 5.5 million copies (5 million through the fiscal year for Take-Two), Bhatia's forecast calls for 4 million units of NBA 2K12 shipped this year, although he admits that with the strong start witnessed now, that might be conservative.
Although it's early, this year's iteration is tracking ahead of last year's critically as well, by a few percentage points, putting its score in the low 90s. Bhatia had modeled for 2K12 to see a 20% dip from last year, partially due to a tough comparison and the ongoing lockout, but the game is also benefitting from a lack of competition in the NBA simulation market.
"TTWO will also benefit from the fact that similar to last year, it will again have no competition in the market for this product. Recall, its closest competitor, Electronic Arts is in the midst of completing revamping its NBA Live franchise," Bhatia said.
