NBA 2K17 cover, release date rumors: Skills update for Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, launch set for September

The newest addition to the NBA 2K franchise, NBA 2K17, is set to be released September of this year, and new details about the much-awaited game have recently surfaced.

NBA superstar Stephen Curry broke records when he received his MVP award recently and in line with his new success, 2K sports upgraded Curry for a total of 30 hours. However, it remains unclear why the character boost was short-lived, specifically because he performed very well in the playoffs. As noted by reports,  some players were able to use the upgraded Curry to surreal levels including "334 points from 102 three pointers." Apparently, Curry seems to be "too good for the game," which the game developers are expected to fix for NBA 2K17.

In an interview with Sporting News' Press Row podcast,  2K Sports Gameplay director Mike Wang discussed the issue and how they will improve it for the next installment. "Generally, taking deep shots, 30-35 feet, or shooting in traffic, or shooting off the dribble, we naturally penalize those things," said Wang. "Everyone in the league more or less gets penalized in kind of the same way, as they take these bad shots." In terms of Curry's performance in the video game, the director says, "Let's create something to break the rule, and that's what we'll probably be doing with Steph, and that's what 'Badges' are basically designed to do."

On another note, the NBA 2K17 will be available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game will have two editions: the Legend Edition and the standard edition. Hall-of-famer Kobe Bryant will be the cover athlete for the Legend Edition, while the standard edition's cover athlete will be announced next month in the NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals championship event.

The Legend Edition is now available for pre-order and it will include Kobe-themed physical items as well as digital ones. The preview clip for NBA 2K17 Legend Edition can be viewed here.