For years, fans of the NFL 2K series have clung to the hope that 2K Sports would eventually return to the gridiron with a full-fledged football game. Unfortunately, those dreams have seemingly taken a big hit recently. Not only has NFL 2K Playmakers — the company’s long-delayed mobile title — officially shut down as of June 30th, but another concerning development has been noticed by one of Operation Sports’ own.
As originally noticed by OS user tsbmolina, 2K is no longer listed as a licensee on the NFL Players Association website. For anyone that might not know, if you wish to create an NFL video game with fully licensed teams and players, then having a license with the NFLPA is required. Without it, any 2K football product would be restricted to generic rosters or retired legends, similar to what the company did with All-Pro Football 2K8 after losing the NFL license in 2004.
2K Made Arguably The Greatest Football Game Of All Time
Released in 2004, 2K’s ESPN NFL 2K5 is still regarded as one of, if not the, greatest football games of all time. Even today, players appreciate the game’s mechanics, deep Franchise mode, and wide range of content/AI choices. Even today, the game still receives consistent mods from a dedicated segment of the community.
On top of that, it did one of the craziest things a game could do at the time.
Despite lagging behind EA’s Madden for years up to that point, the NFL 2K series had carved out a dedicated player base and had begun to push the technology in sports games to the next level. And in order to compete with Madden 2005 and give more players a chance to experience what many considered to be the superior product, 2K made a bold move — to make the game extremely affordable.
Upon release, ESPN NFL 2K5 retailed for $19.99. According to EA developers themselves, 2K’s bold move to sell the game for $30 less than the industry standard spooked the company, so much so that Madden 2005’s price was dropped from the usual $49.99 to $29.95. Unfortunately, this decision would ultimately cost 2K a chance to build upon 2K5‘s success.
In December of 2004, EA would strike a deal with the NFL to be the exclusive holder of the license required to make an NFL-licensed football sim. This effectively killed the NFL 2K series, and has sown seeds of resentment from gamers ever since.
NFL 2K Playmakers And 2K’s Future In Football
Back in 2020, EA had re-upped its deal with the NFL and NFLPA to continue making simulation football titles exclusively. However, there were caveats this time around, the biggest being that non-sim titles could now be licensed by companies other than EA. This allowed 2K to strike a deal with the NFL to produce non-simulation, arcade-style football titles.
Unfortunately, the path was anything but smooth. After years of delays, 2K finally released NFL 2K Playmakers — a card-based mobile title — in 2024. But it didn’t last long, as it would later shut down on June 30, 2025. I wish I could say the title was good, but in all honesty, it was just a typical mobile title that offered very little to keep the average sports gamer engaged for any prolonged period of time.
And, from the looks of it, it will be 2K’s last NFL offering for a while as they are no longer listed as a licensee on the NFLPA’s website. However, there is a small sliver of hope for gamers out there (though I must emphasize the word small).
EA’s exclusive deal with the NFL ends following the 2025 season. And, as of right now, there is no formal agreement to extend this licensing deal. This would theoretically allow 2K to pursue potential NFL titles beginning in 2026. However, it seems there is a preliminary deal between EA and the NFL to maintain the status quo.
According to Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw, EA was reportedly OK with relinquishing exclusive rights to produce NFL-licensed sim titles in an effort to save money (licensing isn’t cheap after all). However, the NFL supposedly wasn’t a fan of this decision and pushed the exclusivity as the company has determined that it makes more money.
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how the NFL came to that decision. Every piece of NFL-branded merch, be it video games or otherwise, gives a cut to the NFL. And if a new NFL 2K title were released — or any alternative football sim for that matter — it would likely sell like hotcakes. Even if the game was bad, curiosity would likely get the better of sports gamers. After all, it’s not like College Football 25 is the greatest thing ever. But because there had been a massive void when it came to college sports games at the time, the game became the highest-selling sports game ever in North America.
So, is it possible that 2K can re-enter the NFL market? In theory, yes. But, if reports are to be believed, those hopes will be all but dashed come later this year when the NFL and EA imminently announce a new exclusive deal.
