NHL 2K
| NHL 2K | |
|---|---|
| Genres | sports |
| Publishers | 2K Sports |
| Platforms | Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox, iPhone, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii |
| Year of inception | 2000 |
| First release |
NHL 2K 2000 |
NHL 2K is a series of hockey games by 2K Sports for the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, iPhone, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii. Initially discontinued after the release of NHL 2K11 in 2010, the brand was revived on mobile devices in 2014. The games are officially licensed from the National Hockey League and NHL Players Association. While its games were released on consoles, its main competition was EA Sports' NHL video games.
The NHL 2K series first appeared on the Dreamcast on February 7, 2000 as part of an exclusive lineup of SEGA Sports titles. Its success led to it becoming one of the few Sega All Stars titles. A year later the developers did not release NHL 2K1, and instead opted to take a break to focus on the follow-up, NHL 2K2. NHL 2K2 was the last game released in all of North America for the Sega Dreamcast when the system was discontinued.
NHL 2K3 was released on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo GameCube. It was the first in the series to feature a franchise mode, and the Xbox version was the first online console hockey game. It had many improvements over its predecessor, although players complained that goalies were too hard to score on. It addressed some issues like scoring, and presentation, and was acknowledged as an exceptional sports title. Even with the lockout looming, video game fans didn't have to worry about the series being put on hiatus, as ESPN NHL 2K5 was released on August 30, 2004. Because Sega had 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, ESPN NHL 2K5 was priced at US$19.99 the day it shipped—versus the typical new-release price of US$49.99. This earned it a wide audience among more casual hockey fans on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. However, EA soon signed an agreement with ESPN to become the sole licensee of ESPN's brand in sports games on all platforms.
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