Get Fit With NBA 2K17 and Fitbit

It's often said that videogames are taking children away from more active pursuits. It's certainly a quite sedentary task for a number of games, but that's starting to change. Games like Wii Fit, Pokémon Go and Kinect Sports have come some way to change that, but 2K are attempting to take the concept a stage further by partnering with Fitbit for NBA 2K17 to encourage fitness when you're not playing the game.

“Any athlete will tell you a healthy lifestyle is a major key to success, and by rewarding gamers for healthy lifestyle habits we hope to help motivate them to achieve their goals in life and in-game,” said Alfie Brody, VP of Marketing for NBA 2K. ”Our brand has never shied away from breaking down boundaries of what a game can achieve, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition through this Fitbit integration.”

Fitbit's activity tracker is already one of the most popular on the market, and the same can be said for 2K's basketball series. The idea behind the joint project is to get players active outside of the game, so even though they're not playing real basketball, they're still getting some exercise as a result of playing. 

Users can connect their fitbit tracker with the game on either Xbox One or PS4 and it will help them build up their customised MyPLAYER in game. Every 10,000 steps logged on the tracker gives a temporary +5 attribute boost and success rate for the next five games played that day. This means that players getting their 10,000 steps recommended each day will get a slight advantage over those lazy slobs who just sit on the sofa eating Wotsits and drinking Red Bull while they play. 

 “It’s exciting to see Fitbit and 2K working together to reward gamers like me in a unique way,” said Harrison Barnes, Fitbit Ambassador and professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s an extra incentive to get my target steps per day because not only am I getting a physical edge, but a gaming edge, too in NBA 2K17. Now my friends and family will have to step up their game to keep up with me.”

NBA 2K17 is available already now for both the last and present generations of Sony and Microsoft's consoles, however it is only the current-gen which will be seeing integration with Fitbit. The feature will be added to the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game in the coming weeks. Users will need to purchase their own device separately as there's no plans to release a pack with the device bundled at this stage. 

 “As a former video game industry executive, I’m excited to help shape the first-of-its-kind integration between a wearable and a console video game, motivating gamers of all ages to be more active throughout the day by giving them in-game rewards for their real-world fitness activity,” said Tim Rosa, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Fitbit. “This partnership speaks to the long history of innovation from both of our brands. We think it’s just the beginning of what’s possible as we create new ways to keep our community engaged and motivated to be healthier and more fit.”