The NBA 2K series received a major boost to its development team on Tuesday. Take-Two Interactive and 2K Sports announced via press release that they have acquired Austin, Texas-based studio HookBang. The new studio will join the Visual Concepts team and be renamed Visual Concepts Austin.
Founded in 2012, HookBang describes itself as a “solutions-based collective” of engineers, artists, and designers that provide tech companies, and others, full-service software design.
“Working with a studio as prominent as Visual Concepts on NBA 2K21 was an extraordinary opportunity for HookBang,” said HookBang CEO Frank Ronan in the release. “Formally joining Visual Concepts and 2K allows us to accelerate our impact on the product, the company and the Austin development community.”
Visual Concepts Austin and NBA 2K Development
Visual Concepts Austin aims to employ “hundreds of developers” to support NBA 2K development, as well as expand 2K Sports’ publishing. This acquisition didn’t come completely out of the blue. HookBang recently assisted in art, design, and engineering support for NBA 2K21. As a new Visual Concepts outfit, VC Austin will expand its efforts to include “platform development” and “live services support.”
“We have made many investments in NBA 2K over the years, each of which has helped us reach new heights,” Greg Thomas, President of Visual Concepts, added. “HookBang has partnered with us on NBA 2K for the past couple of years, and we’re pleased to welcome its talented team to the Visual Concepts family.”
No figures have been disclosed as far the acquisition goes. However, 2K Sports has been devoting resources to its dev team. On March 16, the company acquired HB Studios to help in development for the PGA Tour 2K series. They also appear to hire from within since HB worked on last year’s PGA Tour 2K21.
It remains to be seen what fruit the HookBang acquisition will bear for future NBA 2K development. But, it’s clear that 2K is ramping up its efforts for NBA 2K22.