So... What will become of the 2K Football engine???

[spit_bubble]

My own feeling is that there will be another game soon, in some shape or form.

The sport of football is too popular, the customer base will grow over the next few years as more people buy the latest consoles, and Take Two seems to be still in the game... For now at least.

[yamabushi]

I agree it(2K football) will be back, But I think skipping another year with madden still floundering would be a mistake.
And seeing as how the engine is there, I dont see any point in waiting past summer '09.

[Pappy Knuckles]

All Pro is sweet on the field. They need to tighten it up some more and add some much needed bells and whistles to the offline experience. I'm staying positive that they drop a new one next year.

[RogueHominid]

I would cream myself if 2k made another game. I'm not optimistic, though. Do you all know something I don't? All they would have to do is make a durable offline mode and that would be my last sports game purchase for a loooong time, if not ever. This engine, on the field, is real football, to me. It just feels like I think the game should. The other game feels like a game trying to impersonate football. IMHO.

[spit_bubble]

Quote: Originally Posted by yamabushi

...But I think skipping another year with madden still floundering would be a mistake...

It's hard to gauge just where TTWO is at this point, that's the only reason I have doubts about a game next year.

Quote: Originally Posted by Trojan Man

...I'm not optimistic, though. Do you all know something I don't?

As yamabushi said, the engine is there... And so is Visual Concepts.

They really wouldn't have to do much to release another game. Put a player on the cover to help sell the game, let users customize every player, and refine the gameplay to the extent that they can... (edit: and add some sort of franchise mode)

The thing is, I'm guessing one more game is probably about all they can muster out of the "series" at this point. Without the NFL license, they are obviously pretty limited.

Maybe they could add some downloadable content over time, like a stadium editor, a play creator... And charge a small fee for each... Or even release an expansion disc, though you rarely see those for consoles...



I think perhaps they are considering all these things at this very moment.

[daflyboys]

Apparently NBA 2K9 is going PC?? Will 2K football be far behind?? With the potential for modification, it's too good to consider!

[thejackal25]

I think there will be a game next year. From what I've heard, I think VC signed contracts with these legends for use of their likenesses in 2 games, so they'd be foolish to just sit on those considering the huge sums they dealt for them. The engine is still there and there isn't much revamping that needs to be done, just some touch ups to enhance gameplay. Most work could be spent on game modes and adding depth and replay value. With the extension of the EA-NFL deal, I think they'd be more apt to not tiptoe around the licensing issue, and might actually make a game that's more customizable than the first iteration.

A couple other things that might point to a game being in development:

VC just finished up it's cycle for two of its larger projects, NBA 2K9 and NHL 2K9, and they discontinued the CH2K series. However, with seemingly less work for the team to take on now, they've been trying to hire both producers and programmers recently (check the jobs section of their website). This means they've either lost people or are taking on more projects than the current team can carry. The last time I remember seeing job postings like these that didn't coincide with the NBA and NHL dev cycles was before they started development of APF 2k8. It's probably just wishful thinking and reading too much into things, but everything does fit together nicely for some sort of new project for VC.

[El Greazy 1]

I think APF really needs to decide if they want to go with the Legends or go a completely different route. There are two other possibilites: go the story mode route of Blitz or go the complete user customization of Pro Evolution Soccer.

Either way, customization is the way to go in this game. With strong editing software you can basically make this game limitless much like future "user content" game that are coming out like Sony's Little Big Planet. There is so much they can do at this point because they don't ahve the adhere to the strict NFL license agreement.

I'm hoping that the rumors of a bi-yearly release is true. If that's the case and APF sees another interation, I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised. Think about it, APF was created in 6-8 months, imagine what they can do with a full year and a half to two years worth of improvements.