DustinT's Blog
We all knew it was coming, we just didn't have the proof.
As most of you should know by now, Kotaku has said the MLB 2K series is all but dead.
So where does 2K go now? They lost NHL 2K a few years ago, even after a solid outing. NFL 2K is long gone, and I won't even get into that debate. Top Spin is a great game, but tennis just isn't popular enough. The NBA 2K series has been both insanely popular and successful, which ultimately led to them practically stopping the production of the only competition they had. But with NBA Elite 11 getting axed two years ago, and with EA Sports taking a year off from the NBA, 2K did nothing to separate themselves even more than what they already have.
The crew down at 2K won the battle with EA for the rights to use Michael Jordan in the game, which was the beginning of something that was supposed to be huge. But after arguably the greatest sports game ever made (NBA 2K11), 2K12 seemed to be a letdown. The online servers are still shotty, which is one thing EA always tends to get right. The gameplay became so advanced and fantastic that they lost the casual market; a causality of their own hard work and success. It really is a shame.
But now with NBA Live making a return, shouldn't 2K be worried? I highly doubt whatever EA puts out will be better than 2K13, but it will be closer than most think. EA knows that if their product is garbage, they will have lost the entire NBA scene for good. They won't mess this up.
So what happens when NBA Live is really, really good? What if it gets to the point that 2K starts losing money to EA? It's damn near impossible to survive the sports market with one game, regardless of how flat-out, ridiculously good it is.
This next year is going to tell us a lot about the sports gaming market. I hope I'm wrong. But if I'm not, 2K Sports is going to need a lot of luck.
Do you think 2K Sports will ultimately survive with nothing but NBA 2K in their sports lineup?
# 1
NINJAK2 @ May 22
The Show has survived with no other sports games to speak of and on one console. I don't see why NBA 2k can't survive on three platforms (PC,360, ps3). If MS studios were smart they would bring that franchise under their umbrella...
# 2
kbomb1upc @ May 22
Great article. I myself like NBA 2K9 and 10 better than 11 and 12. I think 2K is in trouble if EA puts out a good product basketball. This will be a good place for 2K to do a Arena Football game so they can be ready to compete with Madden whenever EA loses the exclusive rights.
# 3
wallofhate @ May 22
I dont even wanna think about Nba2k not existing thats like asking what happens when my nanna dies lol I dont even want to fathom the notion makes me sick to my stomach
# 4
maddcatt @ May 22
Sad because they sure did give us the best NBA game of all time and IMO I think NBA2K12 was definitely upgrade over NBA2K11 and I'm already looking forward to NBA2K13 ...Hopefully they find away because I would hate to see this series come to an end
# 5
bwiggy33 @ May 22
NINJAK2 The Show will continue to survive because it is made by Sony. 2k is it's own small company that needs many different games and forms of income in order to survive. It's not Sony where they make the systems, accessories, games, etc. They will solely have a couple sports games left and then I'm not sure about what other non sports games they make.
# 6
pabryant @ May 22
They need College Hoops back! A small profit is better than profit. They need to take advantage of their dominance in basketball. More than anything this is me wishing, however, with the right marketing and timing, it could work, or at least help.
# 7
bb09red @ May 22
Here Here! to what pabryant said. If they brought back College hoops and did it right, they could have some big potential as they would have brand loyalty from the old game plus they would be the only college hoops game, unlike before. Integration with the dominant Nba2k could form a solid platform in the basketball gaming market!
# 8
sactown_13 @ May 22
The problem is, there wasnt a profit to be made off of college basketball. That's why EA stopped making it also
# 9
bigsmallwood @ May 23
2Ksports needs to make at least a Football game or College Hoops game to try and be successful. The NBA 2K franchise cannot sustain 2Ksports alone. PErhaps they should tackle CFB...just a thought.
# 10
jaynny15 @ May 23
I dont want to even think like that... i also feel 2k12 is a really, really good game.. Its the closest to the real thing..what messed it up is that 2k never fixed the online situation and that is their curse..EA basketball will NEVER be better that 2k..EA has nfl football as their backup so trust me, they are not going to put that much money and resources in it. Competition is a customer's benefit!!!!
# 11
sactown_13 @ May 23
EA sports owns the license to college football and isnt letting that go anytime soon. they cant make a nfl or ncca game
# 12
eye guy @ May 23
I have mentioned this in many 2K related threads. In my opinion, they need(ed) to expand and release titles that EA (or any other company) have not ties to.
Like Surfing (Kelly Slater Surfing), Rugby League (different to Rugby) etc, etc... Look at Rockstar's Table Tennis. It had a decent following and it's not a big sport around the world.
They need to think outside the square and take risks that make sense. Prizefighter was a risk that showed, developers like VC need to be given the opportunity to expand within it's own walls so their team will be big enough to develop multiple titles.
If EA can do it with MMA and their recent Tennis title, why can't they?
It really is that simple.
Like Surfing (Kelly Slater Surfing), Rugby League (different to Rugby) etc, etc... Look at Rockstar's Table Tennis. It had a decent following and it's not a big sport around the world.
They need to think outside the square and take risks that make sense. Prizefighter was a risk that showed, developers like VC need to be given the opportunity to expand within it's own walls so their team will be big enough to develop multiple titles.
If EA can do it with MMA and their recent Tennis title, why can't they?
It really is that simple.
# 13
Dazraz @ May 23
It's seems unreal that we can be talking about the demise of a game that is as popular & successful as the NBA 2K franchise is. Sadly though the games industry is tough, the sports game industry tougher still. Are 2K putting all their eggs in one basket with their NBA game? A risky strategy by a company that are known for making some bad decisions.
2K paid mega bucks for the not quite exclusive MLB license. It's the 'not quite exclusive' bit that broke them. Not only did Sony's MLB The Show dominate the PS3 market, but likely many 360 owners were so frustrated at not having that level of quality of a baseball game for their console, that they decided not to have any baseball game at all.
I actually preferred 2K's hockey game & felt it had great potential to be special, but the sales weren't good enough so 2K gave up. Apart from a broadcast package that made you think you were listening to an actual game 2K could never fix the persistent flaws of their MLB game. Rather than invest further to deal with these issues they just tried harder to cover them up. Ultimately 2K once again just gave up. I actually believe the decision to discontinue the MLB 2K series at the conclusion of the licensing deal was done long ago.
So what happens if 2K start feeling the heat from EA's NBA Elite? Will they blow us away as they did with NBA 2K11 or will they once again just give up? A tough question to answer. Surely though with such a highly regarded engine that 2K's NBA game has, that even if 2K were to be no more then someone would want to step in & buy the software from 2K to continue the game in some form.
Just maybe the future of 2K rests not on NBA 2K but in another sport. Specifically football. If the NFL license becomes available to 2K will they be willing to try their hand at a sport they have had success in the past with. More likely though, if this years Madden lives up to the early hype, I doubt 2K would even bother.
Have 2K got something up their sleeve or have they already started to put in place a close down cycle of maybe a couple of more 'polished' NBA games prior to calling it quits?
There really are 2 separate questions here. Will the NBA 2K game continue in some way, shape or form and secondly, will 2K Sports continue as a rival to EA Sports?
2K paid mega bucks for the not quite exclusive MLB license. It's the 'not quite exclusive' bit that broke them. Not only did Sony's MLB The Show dominate the PS3 market, but likely many 360 owners were so frustrated at not having that level of quality of a baseball game for their console, that they decided not to have any baseball game at all.
I actually preferred 2K's hockey game & felt it had great potential to be special, but the sales weren't good enough so 2K gave up. Apart from a broadcast package that made you think you were listening to an actual game 2K could never fix the persistent flaws of their MLB game. Rather than invest further to deal with these issues they just tried harder to cover them up. Ultimately 2K once again just gave up. I actually believe the decision to discontinue the MLB 2K series at the conclusion of the licensing deal was done long ago.
So what happens if 2K start feeling the heat from EA's NBA Elite? Will they blow us away as they did with NBA 2K11 or will they once again just give up? A tough question to answer. Surely though with such a highly regarded engine that 2K's NBA game has, that even if 2K were to be no more then someone would want to step in & buy the software from 2K to continue the game in some form.
Just maybe the future of 2K rests not on NBA 2K but in another sport. Specifically football. If the NFL license becomes available to 2K will they be willing to try their hand at a sport they have had success in the past with. More likely though, if this years Madden lives up to the early hype, I doubt 2K would even bother.
Have 2K got something up their sleeve or have they already started to put in place a close down cycle of maybe a couple of more 'polished' NBA games prior to calling it quits?
There really are 2 separate questions here. Will the NBA 2K game continue in some way, shape or form and secondly, will 2K Sports continue as a rival to EA Sports?
# 15
truintellectplaya @ May 23
First off, I have expressed my concerns with the trolling that OS hired bloggers do when it comes to 2K but they continue to do it. This is like the 100th article on how good NBA Elite will be and how 2K dropped the ball this year. Every article ignores that Live or Elite whatever you want to call it has dropped the ball for the most part of the last 10+ years and that is the reason that 2K totally took the crown. It seems that the bias from the writers around here is blinding them. I see absolutely nothing outside of 2K selling to EA that is going to make EA a better basketball developer just because there new marketing ploy is just to take something away from you then bring it back to see how much you love it. It annoys me to the fullest that we are having a discussion basically asking how powerful do you think EA is in 2012-13. Well I hope they are not as powerful as they was when they bought the exclusive for football and killed the football gaming experience for many like myself. Yeah let's keep writing articles about how EA may be on the verge of totally ruining sports gaming for good.
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