The NFL 2K game that Take-Two promised fans back in 2020 is not happening. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed the cancellation in an interview with Game File’s Stephen Totilo, saying the project failed to come together on a creative level.
“What we hoped would come to fruition creatively did not,” Zelnick told Totilo. “Some of the stuff we tried to do didn’t work out creatively.”
Six Years, No Game
Six years ago, Take-Two announced a multi-game partnership with the NFL, exciting fans of its classic NFL 2K series, which ended in 2004, over a potential revival for the Madden rival.
The deal covered non-simulation games, meaning EA’s own NFL license used for the Madden series was unaffected. Any new 2K title would have needed to be designed in an arcade style.
That constraint became a problem. With the game unable to be a simulation title due to the exclusive deal between the NFL and Electronic Arts, 2K struggled to find an experience that could properly toe the line for players.
Development had been restarted at least twice since work began, according to a 2023 report by Insider Gaming. It was a case of multiple direction shifts, requiring going back to square one.
NFL 2K Playmakers Failed First
Before the console project collapsed, Take-Two’s first NFL title under the partnership was the mobile game NFL 2K Playmakers. It disappointed and was eventually shut down. NFL 2K Playmakers was a card-collecting title similar to the MyTEAM modes in NBA 2K games. The game struggled to find an audience and shut down after just a year in June 2025.
Take-Two also stopped mentioning the partnership in its financial filings around this time, raising suspicion that no further games would be released.
EA Sports Madden remains the only major NFL simulation game on consoles. The NFL 2K cancellation removes what many hoped would become a competitor. For now, there is no NFL 2K game in development anywhere at Take-Two.
