A new college basketball video game is finally on the way, 2K Games confirmed Thursday. The company is developing a “college basketball experience” that will include more than 100 programs from across the country.
“Yes, it’s true,” the company announced on X. “We’re working on a college basketball experience that will feature more than 100 programs from across the country, from powerhouses to Cinderella stories.”
The timing couldn’t be more dramatic. 2K’s announcement came on the exact same day EA Sports reportedly abandoned its plans to create the first official college basketball game since 2009.
Basketball fans won’t have to wait too long to see their favorite schools in action. 2K promised “big plans for 2027 and beyond, and even a few surprises coming in early 2026.”
This isn’t completely out of the blue. 2K had already hinted at college basketball back in June when they posted “The campus has been quiet for too long” on social media.
That same day, EA Sports had announced they were bringing back their own college basketball series. But things changed quickly.
Matt Brown of Extra Points reported Thursday that EA Sports has now backed out completely. An internal memo from Sean O’Brien, VP of Commercial Partnerships and Licensing at EA Sports, revealed the company pulled its offer.
“Given there are some schools choosing to accept the 2K Sports proposal for inclusion in NBA 2K, the offer to be included in a college basketball video game will unfortunately have to be rescinded,” the memo stated.
The memo continued: “Everyone at EA SPORTS is disappointed that we all couldn’t find an acceptable path forward, but we appreciate your support.”
EA had been trying to create a game that would include all men’s and women’s Division 1 teams, conferences, and the NCAA itself.
College basketball games have been missing from the market since EA’s NCAA Basketball 10 released in 2009. The landscape has changed dramatically since then, with name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules now allowing college athletes to be compensated.
EA did successfully bring back college football last year under these new NIL rules.
NBA 2K26 Released Today
2K’s college basketball announcement coincided with the release of NBA 2K26, which launched today for all major gaming platforms.
NBA 2K has dominated the basketball gaming market for years. The latest edition features NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the standard edition cover after his championship season.
WNBA star Angel Reese graces the WNBA edition, while basketball legend Carmelo Anthony appears on the Superstar edition.
The most expensive “Leave No Doubt” edition features all three athletes.
2K seems confident they can bring their basketball expertise to the college game.
“We’ve proven the quality of the basketball experience we can deliver for years, and have every intention to bring that same level of quality to college hoops,” the company stated on X.
For basketball gaming fans who’ve been waiting nearly 15 years for a new college hoops title, the wait is almost over.
