2K has revealed the launch date for the next entry in the NBA 2K series, NBA 2K16, will be September 29th, but for those fans who just can’t wait, in exchange for a pre-order the publisher will let you get your hands on the full game starting four days earlier on September 25th.

Dubbed, “Early Tip-Off Weekend,” this latest pre-order promo also includes 10,000 Virtual Currency and the MyTeam VIP Package which on current consoles and PC will consist of 3 MyTeam Emerald Packs (guaranteed Emerald player each) and on last gen consoles a MyTeam Gold Booster Pack (guaranteed Gold Player and 4 additional Gold items).

The promotion starts today at participating North American retailers and is the second high profile console release to see early access used as a pre-order incentive, the first being last year’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and its Day Zero, one day early access program.

A sign of things to come, as digital pre-order bonuses lose their wow factor, perhaps? Let’s chat about it in the comments below.

As for NBA 2K16, we’re sure to hear more about it at E3. Raj reviewed NBA 2K15 last year and thought it was quite good.