ESPN NFL 2K

Cover of the Xbox version of ESPN NFL 2K5.

ESPN NFL 2K (originally NFL 2K) was 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 (now 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 copublished 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 from the otherwise dominant Madden NFL series.

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.

[edit] Installments

[edit] Trivia

• NFL 2K, 2K1, and 2K2 all featured Randy Moss on their cover.
• NFL 2K3 featured Brian Urlacher on its cover.
• 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.
• The most-anticipated new feature of ESPN NFL Football was its "First-Person Football" mode, in which you could see the game from the perspective of a player on the field.
• 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.
• Due to EA's exclusive NFL license, ESPN NFL 2K5 is the last edition of the ESPN NFL Football series for the foreseeable future.
• Not only did ESPN NFL Football gain more marketshare in 2004, but it was also the best-reviewed football game of 2004.
• 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.

[edit] Related links

• Official 2K Sports website
• NFL 2K series at MobyGames
• NFL 2K Series Manuals
• NFL 2K5 Forever, a fan forum dedicated to 2K5 discussion and current-day roster updates
• NFL 2K5 Roster Update Site, a fan forum dedicated primarily to updating NFL 2K5 rosters and related discussion
• Fan update site