After a long 15-year wait, 2K Sports and the NFL will be partnering up to make football video games again. That’s right, it appears you will be able to play with your Jacksonville Jaguars in another virtual reality football game — but there’s a catch.
Tuesday morning, the renowned video game juggernaut announced that they’d be teaming up with the NFL to make multiple “non-simulation football game experiences” and that the process would begin next year in 2021. Unfortunately, non-simulated could mean the projects won’t be competitors of Electronic Arts’ NFL Madden, but still there is a lot to be excited about.
“The NFL is one of the most successful sports brands in the world, known for creating incredible entertainment for fans,” said 2K president David Ismailer. “We’re thrilled to be back in business with the NFL in a partnership that will span multiple video games centered on fun, approachable and social experiences. It’s exciting to bring together 2K’s expertise in creating award-winning sports games with the NFL’s renowned status as a world-class entertainment and sports organization.”
As of the last decade or so 2K has been known for their NBA series, which has sold tens of millions worldwide. However, the last NFL 2K game was made in 2004 and was entitled “ESPN NFL 2K5.”
With the statements about their projects mentioning non-simulated football, many have speculated that 2K could be looking more towards a street football type concept. EA once had a series of games along these lines called the “NFL Street” series, which allowed fans to choose individuals from their favorite teams for a 7-on-7 matchup. However, they haven’t made a game since 2007 when “NFL Streets 3” was released and have seemingly left a potential opening for 2K to pounce on but ultimately time will tell if that’s where they go.
