NBA 2K16 Beats The Buzzer With Early Tip-Off Weekend

2K Sports is putting its annual basketball title into the hands of fans a few days early this year. Pre-orders come with a number of bonuses, including four days of unlimited early play time.

The game is due out on Tuesday, September 29, but those that pre-order will be able to start playing their retail or digital copy on Friday, September 25. In addition, pre-orders come with 10,000 Virtual Currency (VC) and a MyTeam VIP package.

For those playing on current-gen or PC, the bundle includes three MyTeam Emerald packs (each of which has a guaranteed emerald-level player). Last-gen players will get a MyTeam gold booster pack (with a guarenteed gold-level player) and four other gold items.

NBA 2K16 is slated for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Pictured: NBA 2K15

Our Take
While EA Access is only on Xbox One (right now), it's hard not to wonder if this promotion isn't a hedge against EA's early play time promotion. NBA Live 16 will surely be available to EA Access members in advance of its release date, but possibly for a limited time (if history repeats). I never thought this might be a battleground, but as EA continues to improve its basketball product, every differentiating point helps.