NBA 2K Premieres 'The City' Online Community Upgrade for Next-Gen Consoles

The beloved virtual community in NBA 2K known as "The Neighborhood" will be more entertaining than ever before when '2K21' arrives for next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 in about a week.

Welcome "The City," a revamped version of this interactive mode that arrives with a brand new map and fun tweaks like Affiliations, which requires players to join one of four rival crews spread across the fictional metropolis: the North Side Knights, the South City Vipers, the Beasts of the East, or the Western Wildcats.

At the heads of Affiliations are elected Mayors, who "will be very influential in your day-to-day experience within The City," according to an official blog post. They're responsible for curating various elements of each group's aesthetic like custom playlists, court designs, mural designs, uniform selection, and more. 

The initial mayoral candidates are well-known influencers from the NBA 2K world, though they'll rotate every six weeks with an election. (Knowing how much stress the current election has caused, that could be a lot to handle.)

Erick Boenisch, the Executive Producer at Visual Concepts, calls the update "our most ambitious execution of a virtual basketball community...ever."

Another key addition is the Event Center. Boenisch describes it as "shining like a bright beacon, no matter which borough you view it from. Equally bright and shiny are the many different interiors of this futuristic monolith, where the court floors and walls are lined with dynamic LED screens and lighting elements that change the tone and vibe of the setting. All new and returning Events will be held inside the Event Center, and special intra-Affiliation competitions will take place here as well."