Saber Interactive and 2K have announced a new partnership involving NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.
Saber Interactive and 2K today announced the tip-off of the partnership to raise awareness and support for the Safe Schools for Alex initiative through the March 7 content update in NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. The free in-game update will feature a special basketball court highlighting Safe Schools for Alex, a non-profit dedicated to keeping children safe in schools across America.
Safe Schools for Alex was created by Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, was one of the seventeen victims of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The nonprofit is creating a safe school rating system to assist schools in assessing and mitigating risk. Additionally, Safe Schools supports the creation of a clearinghouse for national school safety best practices, ensuring schools will have guidance nationwide on how to protect their students and teachers.
The Safe Schools update for NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 features a custom court, sound bites from celebrities, athletes and influencers, and plenty of familiar faces in the crowd, in addition to the over 200 current and retired NBA players included in the game. The soundtrack will also be updated to feature Chicago’s hit song "25 or 6 to 4," as played by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Jazz Band, and sound bites and a rap by renowned South Florida resident Vanilla Ice.
“We are honored to be able to use our platform to give back to such an important cause. Max has been my friend since childhood, and I’m very proud of all that he is accomplishing on behalf of children across America in honor of his son, Alex,” said Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive.
“I really appreciate all that Saber and 2K have done to bring awareness to Safe Schools for Alex. Our mission is to make schools a safer place, and we couldn’t do it without the support of these companies, as well as the people around the country that believe in us,” said Max Schachter, Founder of Safe Schools for Alex.
To help support the Safe Schools for Alex initiative, 2K and Saber will match all donations made to Safe Schools for Alex up to $100,000. For more information or to donate, please visit https://safeschoolsforalex.org/. The Safe Schools update will launch for free in NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 on March 7, 2019.