ESPN NFL 2K
Encyclopedia
NFL 2K is an American football
video game series developed
by Visual Concepts
and published
by Sega
.
to address EA Sports
's decision not to publish the Madden NFL
series on the Dreamcast. The first two installments (NFL 2K and NFL 2K1) were exclusive to the Dreamcast, but with the demise of the system, the NFL 2K series was repositioned as the main multiplatform rival to the Madden NFL series. With the cancellation of the NFL GameDay
(989 Sports
) and NFL Fever
(Microsoft Game Studios
), the series truly became Madden NFLs primary competition.
In 2004, Sega signed a deal with Take-Two Interactive
in which Global Star Software (Take-Two's low-price unit) distributed and co-published all titles in Sega's ESPN franchise. As a result, ESPN NFL 2K5 was priced at $
19.99 the day it shipped (versus the typical new-release price of $49.99 that EA ships under). This earned it a wide audience among more casual football fans on the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
. It was also the first time that the series managed to grab a significant chunk of market share over the competitor, the Madden NFL series.
However, in December 2004, EA signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL
for an undisclosed amount of money, making Madden NFL the only series allowed to use NFL team and player names. Comparatively, the NFL signed a similar six year exclusivity deal with Visa Inc. worth $400 Million in January 2004. EA also signed an agreement with ESPN to become the only license of ESPN's brand in sports games on all platforms. This was an immense blow to Sega's franchise in their MLB
, NBA
, and NHL
series. EAs rights end early in 2012.
The commentary was done by the fictional Dan Stevens (Terry McGovern
) and Peter O'Keefe (Jay Styne). The fictional Michelle Westphal (Marcia Perry) provided occasional sideline reports from NFL 2K until NFL 2K3, while ESPN NFL Football and ESPN NFL 2K5 featured sideline reporting from ESPN
's real-life Suzy Kolber
.
2K Sports has a spiritual successor to the NFL 2K series, in the form of All-Pro Football 2K8
, released in 2007. The game features a fictional league known as the "All-Pro League", or APL. The APL consists of 24 teams that are grouped into six divisions of four teams each. Former NFL players appear in the game such as Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, and Johnny Unitas.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game series developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts is a California-based video game developer best known for developing Sega Sports' 2K series of sports games. After the success of the series, they were picked up by Sega and became a wholly owned studio with Sega, usually termed a first-party developer...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
History
The NFL 2K series was introduced by SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
to address EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
's decision not to publish the Madden NFL
Madden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...
series on the Dreamcast. The first two installments (NFL 2K and NFL 2K1) were exclusive to the Dreamcast, but with the demise of the system, the NFL 2K series was repositioned as the main multiplatform rival to the Madden NFL series. With the cancellation of the NFL GameDay
NFL GameDay (video game series)
NFL GameDay was a football video game series for both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. NFL GameDay directly competed with EA Sports' Madden NFL Football and Sega's NFL 2K franchises...
(989 Sports
989 Studios
989 Studios was a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America that developed games for the PlayStation consoles and Windows personal computers. Their titles include Twisted Metal III and 4, Syphon Filter and 2, Jet Moto 3, Bust a Groove, EverQuest and others...
) and NFL Fever
NFL Fever (series)
NFL Fever is an American football video game series published and developed by Microsoft Game Studios.-Installments:...
(Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
), the series truly became Madden NFLs primary competition.
In 2004, Sega signed a deal with Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
in which Global Star Software (Take-Two's low-price unit) distributed and co-published all titles in Sega's ESPN franchise. As a result, ESPN NFL 2K5 was priced at $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
19.99 the day it shipped (versus the typical new-release price of $49.99 that EA ships under). This earned it a wide audience among more casual football fans on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. It was also the first time that the series managed to grab a significant chunk of market share over the competitor, the Madden NFL series.
However, in December 2004, EA signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for an undisclosed amount of money, making Madden NFL the only series allowed to use NFL team and player names. Comparatively, the NFL signed a similar six year exclusivity deal with Visa Inc. worth $400 Million in January 2004. EA also signed an agreement with ESPN to become the only license of ESPN's brand in sports games on all platforms. This was an immense blow to Sega's franchise in their MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, and NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
series. EAs rights end early in 2012.
The commentary was done by the fictional Dan Stevens (Terry McGovern
Terry McGovern (actor)
Terence "Terry" McGovern is an American film actor, television broadcaster, radio personality, voice-over specialist, and acting instructor.-Personal life:...
) and Peter O'Keefe (Jay Styne). The fictional Michelle Westphal (Marcia Perry) provided occasional sideline reports from NFL 2K until NFL 2K3, while ESPN NFL Football and ESPN NFL 2K5 featured sideline reporting from ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's real-life Suzy Kolber
Suzy Kolber
Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber is a football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster for ESPN. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999....
.
Installments
| Title | Availability | Release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Sega , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world... |
Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... |
Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions... |
Nintendo Nintendo is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel.... |
||
| NFL 2K | Dreamcast | None | None | None | September 9, 1999 |
| NFL 2K1 | Dreamcast | None | None | None | September 7, 2000 |
| NFL 2K2 | Dreamcast | PS2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... |
Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... |
None | November 19, 2001 |
| NFL 2K3 | None | PS2 | Xbox | Gamecube | August 21, 2002 |
| ESPN NFL Football | None | PS2 | Xbox | None | September 3, 2003 |
| ESPN NFL 2K5 ESPN NFL 2K5 ESPN NFL 2K5 is an American football video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports and the Sega Corporation. It is a part of the NFL 2K series. The game was originally released on July 20, 2004, for both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game consoles.- Features :The game... |
None | PS2 | Xbox | None | July 20, 2004 |
2K Sports has a spiritual successor to the NFL 2K series, in the form of All-Pro Football 2K8
All-Pro Football 2K8
All-Pro Football 2K8 is a football game for seventh generation consoles and the spiritual successor to the ESPN NFL 2K series. APF2K8 is the first football game to be published by 2K Sports since EA Sports purchased exclusive licenses to the intellectual properties of the NFL and NFLPA. Barry...
, released in 2007. The game features a fictional league known as the "All-Pro League", or APL. The APL consists of 24 teams that are grouped into six divisions of four teams each. Former NFL players appear in the game such as Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, and Johnny Unitas.