2K sports announces All-Pro Football 2K8 for summer release

[Deattribution]

2K returns to gridiron
Visual Concepts bringing football back with All-Pro Football 2K8 for 2K Sports; game set to hit next-generation systems this summer.
By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Jan 30, 2007 5:58 pm PT

For NFL 2K Football fans, the announcement of Electronic Arts' late-2004 exclusive deal with the National Football League (NFL) hurt more than a blindside sack from a unblocked linebacker. The agreement made EA's popular Madden franchise the only NFL-licensed game in town and also effectively ended the career of Visual Concepts' NFL 2K Football series. Rubbing salt in the wound, EA would eventually acquire the exclusive rights to make games based on NCAA Football and the Arena Football League.

After EA made the deal, Sega decided to bail on the sports scene and sold off the jock-centric studios of Visual Concepts and Kush Games to Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two formed 2K Sports, and made sports games based on the licenses of the MLB, NHL, NBA, and more, but stayed away from football of any kind.


Midway Games went rough-and-tumble with the unlicensed Blitz: The League.

Midway Games, on the other hand, believed that a successful football game did not need the blessing of the NFL, and eventually released Blitz: The League, a dark look at the underbelly of professional football. Instead of using real teams and players, Midway created a fictional league and made up its own players. The publisher's gamble proved to be a good move, as the game went on to be a surprising success.

Now it appears 2K Sports is feeling like it wants to get off the sidelines as well. Today, the publisher announced that Visual Concepts is returning to football with All-Pro Football 2K8. The game is scheduled for release on "next generation video game systems" this summer.


Visual Concepts' NFL 2K5.

"Football gamers have been awaiting the return of the 2K series," said Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas. "All-Pro Football 2K8 will deliver an authentic next generation gridiron experience and we are happy to give fans another choice in the football category."

However, it's unclear what sort of players and teams will fill up All-Pro Football 2K8's rosters. While Blitz had the luxury of spicing up a roster of nobodies with gratuitous violence and performance-enhancing substances, Visual Concepts has an affinity for authentic simulations. One possiblity is 2K will opt for signing popular players of years past to fill out its teams, with Hall of Famers spanning decades going toe-to-toe against each other. However, that kind of roster would require 2K Sports to sign deals with each player individually.

For more on today's news announcement--and greater insight on the gritty details of All-Pro Football 2K8--check back shortly for GameSpot's Q&A with Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts.

This is the best announcement I've heard concerning console games in the last year or two.


http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/a...clk=newlyadded

Here is the link to the Q&A

[SirFozzie]

Two Words.

Suh.

Weet.

[Eaglesfan27]

Awesome news. This is almost a must buy for me, even if just to support the competition against Madden. Can't wait to hear more about the game.

[Emiliano]

Great news.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Thank God! A very good competitor is back in the market. Madden has been going nowhere lately. Great to see this finally happen.

[Raiders Army]

I won't say what has already been said.

What the hell: Finally some competition!

[albionmoonlight]

I've always liked the 2K gameplay better than Madden.

[JimmyWint]

2K Sports is really stepping it up. The Baseball game sounds fantastic and now this! With all of the roster gurus out there it would be no time before someone comes up with an NFL roster. Personally I think i am just going to go with whatever stock rosters come with the game and start my franchise. Yeah!!

[albionmoonlight]

dola--

I find it funny that the author of the article cannot conceive of an "authentic simluation" that contains a fictional roster.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Two Words.

Suh.

Weet.

I don't know either of those words.

[Kodos]

Excellent. Maybe this will get EA off of their laurels a bit. I will definitely get this game.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I've always liked the 2K gameplay better than Madden.

I've always enjoyed Madden more, but that may be because of so much time with the Madden engine.. however, I LOVE 2k's basketball games, so I'm definitely willing to give this a shot..

And has been said, competition is always good.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

I don't know either of those words.

You don't know "suh" or "weet", but you know "lmaonade".

that is lol man

[Cringer]

Very cool to read this.

[MizzouRah]

Oh yeah baby!

[Mateo]

Sounds awesome.

Doubt it will last more than one game.

Do you know how much $$$ past players would command? And since EA is tight with the NFLPA, I think it'll be a matter of time before EA swoops in and snatches up Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, John Elway... all the greats and put them in the game as themselves.

Sounds great, but it also seems they tipped their hand a little bit.

[Deattribution]

Originally Posted by Mateo

Sounds awesome.

Doubt it will last more than one game.

Do you know how much $$$ past players would command? And since EA is tight with the NFLPA, I think it'll be a matter of time before EA swoops in and snatches up Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, John Elway... all the greats and put them in the game as themselves.

Sounds great, but it also seems they tipped their hand a little bit.

I think it's unlikely that they spend loads of money trying to get retired players while knowing that if they put in the proper amount of customization people will just make real rosters and never use them.

[Oilers9911]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

I don't know either of those words.

He said Weet, you know it's a crop...like Grayne.

[sooner333]

Yeah, while the NCAA series is signed up with the NFL, they still can't use the names. I don't know if the 2k series would be allowed to make QB18 for the Colts, but they could certainly make some sort of hint to who it is and within a day a roster pack would be downloadable.

BTW, Madden had to do things generically as far as teams went in their first stint on N64 as the Acclaim (?) game had the exculsive rights. I think we know which franchise has lasted longer.

[dervack]

Originally Posted by sooner333

Yeah, while the NCAA series is signed up with the NFL, they still can't use the names. I don't know if the 2k series would be allowed to make QB18 for the Colts, but they could certainly make some sort of hint to who it is and within a day a roster pack would be downloadable.

BTW, Madden had to do things generically as far as teams went in their first stint on N64 as the Acclaim (?) game had the exculsive rights. I think we know which franchise has lasted longer.

Except I don't think they can call them the Colts either.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by dervack

Except I don't think they can call them the Colts either.

They could call them the Indiana Stallions and make the graphics and team name customizeable.

Same stuff Solecismic does/has done.

[gstelmack]

Why can't they use the names? Didn't the Fantasy Sports ruling pretty much screw the NFLPA?

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by Deattribution

if they put in the proper amount of customization

Ping: Daivd Winters

[Eaglesfan27]

I doubt this will be one game and done. It sounds like quite a bit of effort has gone into the engine. I'm figuring a good franchise mode with plenty of customization.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Daivd ought to sue.

[Kodos]

hxxp://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sns-ap-fbn-nfl-retirees,0,5165222.story?coll=sns-ap-football-headlines

Could be relevant if All Pro goes the Legends route. Or not.

Retirees Sue NFL Union Over Licensing
By DAVID KRAVETS
Associated Press Writer
Posted February 15 2007, 8:11 PM EST


SAN FRANCISCO -- Two former NFL players are accusing the league's union of inadequately representing them and the 3,500 retired players in licensing deals and allege the player's association may owe millions of dollars in licensing fees.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, former players Bernard Parrish and Herb Adderley say the NFL Players Union's arm that handles licensing arrangements has done little to secure licensing deals with clothing manufacturers, video game makers and other venues. The suit seeks class-action status to represent the 3,500 retired players, which it says may be owed "tens of millions of dollars."

Parrish was a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers from 1959 to 1966. Adderley was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys from 1961 through 1972.

The lawsuit claims that $7 million was given to 358 retired players in 2005, meaning a small percentage of players have been compensated.

"Defendant has not made diligent efforts to generate revenue for plaintiffs. Almost 90 percent of the class receive no money," the lawsuit says. "Defendant has not allocated opportunities to plaintiffs in any fair or equitable manner. Defendant has not, on information and belief, distributed revenues to plaintiffs that should have been distributed."

The suit also demands that the National Football League Players Inc., as the union's licensing arm is known, open more of its books to players.

Gene Upshaw, the union's executive director, called the lawsuit "baseless."

"We will vigorously defend it. We look forward to showing what we do for retired players," he said.

Upshaw said Parrish has never agreed to sign a licensing deal, and one Adderley signed expired in 2005.

Adderley, for example, claims he didn't receive any compensation from the union for licensing his name to Reebok.

"I think they have a lot of explaining to do," said Ronald Katz, the lawyer for Parrish and Adderley.

The case is Parrish v. National Football League Players Inc., 07-0943.

[WVUFAN]

Does anyone know if this will be released for the PS3?

If not ... this combined with Guitar Hero II (with 10 new songs and downloadable songs) will make me buy a 360, despite my hatred of all things Microsoft.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Does anyone know if this will be released for the PS3?

If not ... this combined with Guitar Hero II (with 10 new songs and downloadable songs) will make me buy a 360, despite my hatred of all things Microsoft.

I'm almost certain this will be on the PS3 and 360 but not the PS2 or Xbox.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Per Gamespot, it is being developed for the PS3 and the 360.

[WVUFAN]

Well, that and Guitar Hero II for 360 still is mighty tempting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

Well, that and Guitar Hero II for 360 still is mighty tempting.

Plenty of other good games coming out for the 360 soon as well (along with the ones that are already out.)

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Plenty of other good games coming out for the 360 soon as well (along with the ones that are already out.)

Do tell.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Do tell.

As far as excellent 360 games that are already out, there are quite a few threads floating around documenting people's thoughts on those.

As far as games that will be out in the near future that look like they have the potential to be very good:

MLB 2k7

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Forza Motorsport 2 (I loved the first one.)

Virtual Tennis 3 (not my thing, but it's an excellent series and this is the first game that will be fully rendered in 1080p natively.)

Guitar Hero 2 (not my thing, but should be a great game on the 360.)

Halo 3 should be out sometime this year.

Tenchu Z (I've really enjoyed previous versions on the PS2.)

Mass Effect - I'm looking forward to this Sci-Fi RPG.

Blue Dragon - The creators have a nice pedigree for RPG's, looking forward to this one too.

The Outsider - Will be interested to see how well they really do the branching storylines.

Spider Man 3 might be good.


There are plenty of others, but those are the ones highest on my radar to keep an eye on. Oh yeah, Winning Eleven 2007 was just released here and I'm waiting to hear some reviews on that.

[ageofquarrel]

I hope this ends up being just a rumor.

hxxp://kotaku.com/gaming/ea/analyst-ea-most-likely-buyer-of-2k-sports-237497.php

[Eaglesfan27]

Saw this earlier today. If you read it carefully, it says that scenario is "unlikely" to occur.


Edit: Actually selective quoting doesn't show that in this particular article, but if you read Gamespot where they quote a larger piece of the analysis, it does say this is "unlikely" to occur.

[Eaglesfan27]

A guy over at OS is the first to get the May edition of Game Informer which has a 5 page preview of the game. You can read his posts over there, but some of the highlights and lowlights of what he has posted so far:

Lowlights:

- Player graphic models don't look next gen, although they note this was an early version of the game and that it would be improved before release.

- No ability to replicate the NFL or NFL Players which seems to indicate limited or no customization?


Highlights:

Greatly improved animation system.

Completely revamped running game.

Greatly improved O-Line/D-Line interaction.

Many more animations for different situations that occur in a game such as a QB running and being hit as he is throwing.

Very lively stadiums that are well done.

Revamped player rating system.



I'm a bit bummed out that there is a lack of customization, but if this game has any sort of decent franchise mode, I'll be purchasing this on release day.

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

... I'll be purchasing this on release day.

Have you learned nothing from the EA Head Coach experience.

[Kodos]

It needs to be customizable if I'm going to buy it.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm a bit bummed out that there is a lack of customization, but if this game has any sort of decent franchise mode, I'll be purchasing this on release day.

With how bad Madden was this year, and how bad I suspect it will be next year, I don't really care about customization at this point. I just want a good franchise mode (how the ai?) and gameplay that plays like real football. If they can just give me that, I'll be happy.

[JediKooter]

It would be nice if had Co-op play.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Have you learned nothing from the EA Head Coach experience.

Yes, I won't be buying that or Madden on release (probably not at all) this upcoming year

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by sabotai

With how bad Madden was this year, and how bad I suspect it will be next year, I don't really care about customization at this point. I just want a good franchise mode (how the ai?) and gameplay that plays like real football. If they can just give me that, I'll be happy.

I agree. I wanted customization, but if the gameplay is solid and they have a good franchise mode (no 20 DE's in the 1st round), then I'll be happy.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by sabotai

With how bad Madden was this year, and how bad I suspect it will be next year, I don't really care about customization at this point. I just want a good franchise mode (how the ai?) and gameplay that plays like real football. If they can just give me that, I'll be happy.

Sadly, I never found franchise mode to be a strong point in the 2K series of football games.

[kingnebwsu]

Maybe they'll have a weekly highlight show like Sportscenter...

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I agree. I wanted customization, but if the gameplay is solid and they have a good franchise mode (no 20 DE's in the 1st round), then I'll be happy.

This is gonna depend of what the gamemakers mean by "No NFL"; if they have completely removed the ability to rename/retool players, then I'm out. Uniforms don't mean as much, but renaming teams/players is a big thing for me in sports games.

[Mo.Raider]

I wonder why no licenses have went the nostalgic route and used the old USFL? I think you might even be able to use the rosters without much conflict.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by Mo.Raider

I wonder why no licenses have went the nostalgic route and used the old USFL? I think you might even be able to use the rosters without much conflict.

If they did that, they'd have to get the Kleenex out for me as I would be creaming all over the place.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Mo.Raider

I wonder why no licenses have went the nostalgic route and used the old USFL? I think you might even be able to use the rosters without much conflict.

I'll take a guess here. First of all, I doubt that many people under the age of 30 even know what the USFL was. Most of the ones who do know probably don't care about any of the teams. It might as well be generic team names like 2K Sports is apparently already going to do.

As far as the rosters go, it's doubtful that you could put Jim Kelly or Steve Young into an NFL game without getting somebody's permission, so I'd imagine that it's even more unlikely that you could put them into a USFL game. Each player would probably have to be signed individually, and that'd just be impossible.

Does anyone know where former New Orleans Breaker DB Woodrow Wilson is these days?

[stevew]

Yeah, I'd venture to say that .01% of people who would buy a console football game give a shit about the USFL or it's license. Perhaps a football RPG could be cool with the license. It would just be a waste of money to use it in a game when you could just make up team names and be in the same boat.

[DanGarion]

I think the most important part to this game will be if people that get the Xbox360 version can make rosters and design the teams correctly and then post those files online so other people can do the same as well.

Then you technically have two games that can play NFL football.