NBA 2K12: Will Legends Save Stellar Franchise from Being Lockout Victim?

The cover art for the highly-anticipated basketball video game NBA 2K12 was released today, and it's clear that 2K Sports is going a little retro with their choice for the cover. 

The newest installment of the best basketball franchise running right now features a troika of basketball gods in the forms of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. 

The cover is a continuation of last year's smash hit feature, in which players could take the role of His Airness and earn all sorts of memorabilia dedicated to the greatest player in NBA history; one would assume that this year's title would expound on that feature, allowing players to do much of the same with Magic and Larry Legend. 

2K Sports says that the primary cover choice remains Jordan, but told 1Up.com that the Bird and Magic versions would be limited releases for gamers to buy. 

However, there's a darker undertone behind 2K's decision to use the legends on the cover of the game: a not-so-subtle reminder to basketball fans that next season is far from assured. 

The NBA lockout is in full swing, and neither side has made all that much progress towards figuring out a new deal. Without one, there will still be an NBA 2K12, but will fans really buy a game that reminds them about what might have been, had the league's financial situation not spiraled out of control?

We've never been in a situation like this before in the video game era; sure, there was the 1998 lockout, but even then, video games (and particularly NBA video games) weren't as much a part of the fabric of sports as they are now.

Now, no one's quite sure whether fans will remain interested in playing a game all about a league that's not actually playing. 

That's where the legends come in. While 2K seemed likely to include all of the Jordan and legend content regardless, the importance of that content could be upped in a big way for the franchise.

It represents something besides the lockout for fans to look forward to; it gives them a way to hearken back to a time when they weren't worrying about whether there was going to be a season. 

Rather than reminding them who they won't be seeing next season (like Derrick Rose or Dirk Nowitzki), the legend covers give fans someone they love and adore, and remind everyone that there will still be basketball during the lockout, courtesy of your XBOX 360, Playstation 3 or Wii. 

There's little doubt that 2K12 is going to live up to the hype its predecessor has heaped upon it; with improved graphics and the same stellar gameplay, odds are good that this game is going to be fantastic. 

But by sticking the legends on their cover, 2K Sports is helping to make sure that fans will want to experience their new and improved edition of last year's smash hit. No one would have argued with the decision even without the labor issues, but with the lockout looking more and more likely to drag into the season, it's a subtly brilliant move by the 2K staff to choose legends for the cover. 

By doing so, they've bolstered their chances of making sure fans will be interested, even without an NBA season to pair it with. In fact, 2K Sports looks to be making all the right moves to ensure they're positioned for another smash hit on October 4.