Following the bumpy launch of the original NBA Playgrounds game on the Switch eShop, the sequel has a lot to prove. Fortunately, Saber Interactive has signed a deal with the basketball video game experts, 2K Sports.

In a recent phone interview with Polygon, Saber CEO Matthew Karch said 20 percent of the improvements in the sequel - Playgrounds 2 - had taken place over the last four to five months since 2K became involved in the development, with the publisher making "substantial" contributions.

2K's involvement in the sequel made it possible to include the sport's best and most iconic players including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and a number of others. These are players Saber would have never been able to obtain the rights to on its own, according to Karch.

The existing work 2K Sports has done with its own NBA games helped add and refine signature player animations in Playgrounds 2. It's also helped provide dedicated servers for online match-making and streamline the in-game purchases - which are mostly cosmetic items.

As for the future of Playgrounds, Karch said the series is likely to continue on:

I will say that 2K is not interested in one-offs...They see the long-term potential for this game.

Are you looking forward to NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 when it arrives on 16th October? Did you play the original game by Saber Interactive? Tell us in the comments.

[source polygon.com]