The company announced that 2K Games will develop NFL games again.
Today, the National Football League (NFL) and 2K Game announced a multi-year partnership involving multiple championship titles.
Unlike the EA Sports Madden Championship, these games will be non-simulated football games. 2K confirms that although the specific game name, developer and release date will be announced later, 2K confirms: "These projects are in the early development stage and will start from calendar year 2021."
"The NFL is one of the most successful sports brands in the world and is known for creating incredible entertainment for fans," said 2K President David Ismailer. "We are excited to re-establish a business partnership with the NFL, which will cover multiple video games centered on fun, approachable and social experiences.
"It's exciting to combine 2K's expertise in creating award-winning sports games with NFL's reputation as a world-class entertainment and sports organization."
EA issued a statement about the new deal, assuring Madden fans that it remains "the sole publisher of NFL simulation games" and that its partnerships with NFL and NFLPA "remain unchanged."
"Our agreement has always allowed non-exclusive development of non-simulation games on various platforms. Our commitment to NFL fans has been nearly 30 years old, and this commitment has never been stronger than it is now, and we are ushered in The biggest year.
"Madden NFL 20 is the most successful game ever, and new models such as superstar KO and our Madden NFL esports broadcast are expanding the fan base. In the coming years, we will pass more new and different experiences, More platforms and new gameplay to build this momentum. "
Visual Concepts is the developer of 2K Sports brand sports games. Since the ESPN NFL 2K5 in 2004, today's announcement marks the first time the series has returned to the 2K label. In 2005, EA signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL, which made Madden NFL the only series title that allowed the use of NFL team and player names in its Madden simulation.