Was Mike Wang fired as NBA 2K's Gameplay Director? Viral Visual Concepts statement fact checked

A claim has gone viral on social media that Mike Wang, the gameplay director of NBA 2K, was fired by Visual Concepts, the studio behind the game. In the last 24 hours, a purported statement from NBA 2K has gone viral on social media which states that Wang was released from the company.

The statement emerged after Mike Wang reportedly deactivated his X account. It sparked speculation that Visual Concepts fired Mike Wang. However, the statement appears to be a hoax, as neither NBA 2K nor Visual Concepts has shared it on any of their social media accounts.

As of Thursday, 2:30pm ET, Mike Wang's X account @Beluba remains active. It could not be independently confirmed whether the account was indeed briefly deactivated.

Truth Behind The Viral NBA 2K Statement

The statement was garbed with graphics and format used by NBA 2K for their official announcements. It was purportedly on behalf of the “NBA 2K Team” and claimed that Mike Wang has been "released as the Gameplay Director for Visual Concepts."

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Ht.com can confirm that Visual Concepts or NBA 2K has not released any such statement from their official channels. Mike Wang's X and LinkedIn profile still mentions that he is working at Visual Concepts as the Gameplay Director of NBA 2K.

"We are sorry to inform the 2K community that Mike Wang has been released from his position as Gameplay Director for Visual Concepts," the statement read. "Mike has been a key part of the NBA 2K franchise for many years, and his passion, leadership, and contributions have helped shape the game into what it is today. We are grateful for his dedication and the impact he has made on the community, our team, and the NBA 2K legacy."

Here's the viral statement:

Who Is Mike Wang?

Mike Wang joined Visual Concepts in 2004 and was a key part of the NBA 2K development. He is credited with the series’ increasingly realistic player movement, shooting, dribbling and defensive mechanics in gameplay. He briefly left Visual Concepts to work in EA Sports’ NBA Live series. But he returned and has stayed with Visual Concepts.

Wang has served as gameplay director on numerous entries, from NBA 2K14 onward. He has served as the Game Director for NBA 2K14 and onwards and is fondly referred to in the 2K community as Beluba, his X username.