And there's no doubt that My NBA2K18 is designed to generate some extra money for 2K. But while it exists as a way to scan your face and check your stats in NBA 2K18, it also comes with a mobile card game that's disturbingly entertaining.

If you've ever come across WWE SuperCard, MyNBA2K18 largely works the same way. You start out by picking your favourite team, and then you're given a series of cards ranging in rarity as a starting "lineup". Each of the cards has four stats: offence, defence, rebounding and playmaking, represented by an arbitrary figure in numbers.

At the basic level, two teams face off with a lineup of five players. Each quarter you're given the chance to pick one or two players to compete in various challenges. It boils down to whoever picks the player with the higher stat number, and while you can play a single bonus card each game to boost a player's stats for that round, that's more or less what it comes down to.

This isn't a first for 2K, though. The MyNBA2K app was introduced into the flagship basketball franchise in 2013. WWE SuperCard launched a year later, and quickly became 2K's biggest mobile hit with more than 10 million downloads to date.

It's the sort of product 2K's shareholders love. Mobile games might not deliver billion-plus figures into a company's coffers, but for big publishers with big, iconic brands like NBA, FIFA, WWE and so on, they provide a consistent stream of revenue.

And it's impossible not to think about that when I'm watching the numbers on my basketballers go up. Hell, there's a mechanic in the game where you get rewarded with free draft picks (basically disposable cards that can be sold or recycled for various purposes) for watching mobile ads.

It really comes down to three parts. You have the quick game, which is basically single PvP matches against other players teams. There's Blacktop Challenge, which pits 10 players against each other over 5 two-minute rounds. Players get victory points for beating other players, and as the match progresses your players lose stamina and eventually get recycled with others from a 25 player deck.

The longest form mode is Season, which pits 30 players against each other over the course of 82 automated games every 30 minutes. Your lineup is basically made up of 15 players and three "support" cards. Players lose energy with each and every game, and you can't update your roster mid-season as you pick up new cards.

The latest roster updates will be important to "NBA 2K18" players, particularly the ones playing the game on Season mode. The ratings could prove crucial so gamers are encouraged to go over their rosters and make the necessary changes if necessary. Alternatively, they could also work on their player's rating via the traditional training methods. This means spending more time in the gym and avoiding NPC training requests to come out with better results.

2K Sports continues to keep players busy with updates to "NBA 2K17", a move that could buy the coming of "NBA 2K18" some time. Take Two’ Visual Concepts is reported hard at work on the next installment which is slated to be out by September. "NBA 2K18" is expected to come out with versions for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch according to Forbes.