ESPN NFL 2K

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Cover of the Xbox version of ESPN NFL 2K5.

ESPN NFL 2K (originally NFL 2K) is an American football video game series developed by Visual Concepts and jointly published by Sega and ESPN.

[edit] History

The NFL 2K series was introduced by Sega for its Dreamcast 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 Dreamcast, the NFL 2K series was repositioned as the main multiplatform rival to the Madden NFL series. Both series were released on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. With the cancellation of the NFL GameDay (989 Sports) and NFL Fever (Microsoft Game Studios) series in 2003, NFL 2K (then ESPN NFL Football) truly became Madden NFL's primary competition.

In 2004, Sega signed a deal with Take-Two Interactive in which Global Star (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). 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 ESPN NFL series managed to grab a significant chunk of market share over the competitor, the Madden NFL series. Before 2K5's release, the Madden NFL series had greatly outsold the ESPN NFL games. However, ESPN NFL 2K5 slightly outsold its counterpart, Madden 2005

However, in December 2004, EA signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL, making Madden NFL the only series allowed to use NFL team and player names. EA also signed an agreement with ESPN to become the only licensee 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.

Although the NFL 2K series is no longer made, fans of the game can download unofficial rosters made by other players by using an Action Replay device.

2K Sports announced a spiritual successor in the NFL 2K series, in the form of All-Pro Football 2K8 in January 2007 that will be released in the summer.

[edit] Installments

Cover of the Dreamcast version of NFL 2K2.

[edit] Other installments

• ESPN NFL Primetime 2K2 featured Edgerrin James on itscover. This was the last installment before 2K Sports teamed with the Sega Sports franchise.

[edit] Trivia

NFL 2K3 was the first game in the series to feature ESPN. It was also the first and only game on the Gamecube console

• NFL 2K1, released on the Dreamcast in September 2000, was one of the first games to implement online console gaming through the use of SegaNet.
• NFL 2K1 was ranked #197 in "The 200 Greatest Games of Their Time," available in the 200th edition of Electronic Gaming Monthly.^{[citation needed]}
• Due to the acquisition of the ESPN license, the 2K was removed from the game name in 2003. The words Sega 2K4 were featured on the packaging to inform people that this was the same series as Sega's NFL 2K series. The 2K was again added to the game title for the release of ESPN NFL 2K5.^{[citation needed]}
• Due to EA's exclusive NFL license, ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last edition of the ESPN NFL Football series.
• Not only did ESPN NFL Football gain more marketshare in 2004, but it was also the best-reviewed football game of 2004.^{[citation needed]}
• If a player creates a player and gives him the name "Bill Clinton" or "George Bush" the names will be said by the commentators during game play in ESPN NFL 2K4 and 2K5 games.
• In ESPN NFL 2K5, before playing a game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the announcers might mention that they are at the intersection of Holmgren Way and Brett Favre Pass. This intersection does exist, but it is about a block away from Lambeau Field.
• In ESPN NFL 2K5 the feature "The Crib" offers a feature called the "celebrity phone", which allows the player to play "celebrities" such as Funkmaster Flex, Steve-O, Jamie Kennedy, David Arquette, and Carmen Electra in a "Play Now" Game.
• In ESPN NFL 2K5 there is a feature that tells about the sport of football and the terminology of the game.
• In 2K5 the game featured ESPN's 25th Anniversary of the top 25 NFL moments of NFL lore, from the Ice Bowl to 4th and 26.

[edit] Related links

• Official 2K Sports website
• NFL 2K series at MobyGames
• 2K Sports Announces All-Pro Football 2K8