Beginning of the End for MLB 2K franchise? (Update: Series Cancelled)

Many are taking some of these quotes from Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick to mean that 2K will walk away from the MLB license in 2012, opening up the possibility for the return of EA SPORTS' MVP Baseball franchise:


Strauss Zelnick told Reuters that annualizing a video game risks producing one of lower quality and burning out consumers. While it's a relatively new concept to triple-A franchises like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, it's been a requirement of sports titles for the past 15 years. Zelnick sounded put off by that as well. While Take-Two is open to renewing its agreement with MLB, he indicated the economics of the deal have to be more favorable.

"It's a losing proposition and we don't have any interest in pursuing losing propositions."

2K's baseball deal expires in 2012. Last year, one analyst estimated its worth at $40 million over its lifespan.

Last year, Zelnick also singled out 2K's baseball titles, blamed a poor-selling and poorly-reviewed MLB 2K9, plus spinoff titles like The Bigs 2 and Front Office Manager, when the company came in under earnings projections (and lost more than $130 million for the year.)

I think they will still make it as they can still sell a lot of 360 games. I think the end of the exclusive license is near and perhaps we will see a next gen MVP game.

Major League Baseball 2K’s Cancellation is Confirmed

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K Sports, notably left Major League Baseball 2K out of its planned releases in its coming fiscal year. Kotaku asked Take-Two Interactive if it could confirm the end of the series, and it did.

"Our legacy Major League Baseball agreement will sunset in fiscal 2013," a Take-Two spokesman said, meaning in the coming 12 calendar months. "MLB 2K12 is our last offering under that agreement. At this time, we have no further comment."

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Good riddance. I'm sorry for 360 owners, but anyone with half a brain, and a PS3, should have learned years ago to reject this title.

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Originally Posted by steelerfan

Good riddance. I'm sorry for 360 owners, but anyone with half a brain, and a PS3, should have learned years ago to reject this title.

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This. I bought 2K9 and 2K10 in the years after I first got my 360. 2K10 is the last MLB 2K game I ever bought or played, and I haven't played either of them in years. I don't even know where the games are packed up at. One of the glitchiest, buggiest games I ever played. Always issue after constant issue when/while playing the game.

As for the death of the MLB 2K series, I'm not sad. Not a single tear for me. As for there not currently being a future of baseball on 360, not sure. I've been just fine with not playing any baseball games for 2-3 years now, but every now and then I do get an itch to play, even for just simply a day or two.

Not really surprising. Other than NBA2K does take 2 make any other games?

I'm hoping EA has something up their sleeve that I don't know about. I miss the Triple Play / MVP series.

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Originally Posted by CLW

Not really surprising. Other than NBA2K does take 2 make any other games?

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I assume you mean sports games. No.

The "beginning of the end" was the day 2k got the MLB license.

Here's another article from Kotaku on the end of MLB 2K.

A Terrible Decision Created MLB 2K—But It Also Brought Us BioShock

2K really was doomed from the start with what they invested just to get the rights.

I had to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbIVUgW0t0o

:D

:D

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Yep. :D :fp:

I bought 2K9 when I first got my 360, glitched and bugged all to hell. For whatever reason, bought 2K10, same old tired shit. Haven't touched the series since.

I think it's really clear they cut the budget on their baseball game and had about 5 guys making it in their parents' basement. I actually enjoyed 2K10 and 2K11 for awhile. Too many bugs and problems to be a long term good game but it was a refreshing change from the Show (although I'm really enjoying the Show 12). I don't get the stupid $1 million dollar challenge. They were just throwing a million bucks down the toilet. It might have been cool the first time but it didn't push anyone into buying the game. Their sales dropped every year with this challenge.

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Originally Posted by Rudy

I think it's really clear they cut the budget on their baseball game and had about 5 guys making it in their parents' basement. I actually enjoyed 2K10 and 2K11 for awhile. Too many bugs and problems to be a long term good game but it was a refreshing change from the Show (although I'm really enjoying the Show 12). I don't get the stupid $1 million dollar challenge. They were just throwing a million bucks down the toilet. It might have been cool the first time but it didn't push anyone into buying the game. Their sales dropped every year with this challenge.

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Yep, I don't know if it's been said or confirmed anywhere, but my belief is that the added the $1 million dollar challenge solely to boost their sales and get people to actually buy the game, and in the end, it didn't do shit. People still refused to buy their games because of all the bugs, glitches and problems, their sales continued to plummet, and they did nothing but piss away $1 million dollars every year.

There's no other reason for them to add that challenge then trying to boost dropping sales numbers. You don't see a $1 million dollar challenge in NBA 2K, because that series actually sells well and plays well (it has it's share of bugs and problems, but for the most part it plays well), so there is no need to add a challenge to it since it has a steady (maybe even growing) fanbase. MLB 2K couldn't make that claim.

Also, I'll agree, with 2K10, for what it was, I had fun with it while I played (got pretty deep into My Player mode), but ultimately the bugs and glitches that were still there from 2K9 killed any desire I had to buy 2K11 or 2K12. 2K9, that was just plain a clusterfuck, so thankfully 2K10 was an improvement, it just wasn't a major night and day improvement, which is what the series desperately needed to avoid this ending.

I think 2K11 was a nice step up from 2K10 except in one area - a rigid hitting system. In 2K11 every outside pitch had to be hit to the opposite field. Every inside pitch had to be pulled. It was far too rigid, unrealistic and made the game boring. Plus I hated seeing a ton of opposite field HRs that happen because of this system. 2K11 still had its share of bugs but I did think it was better. My brother got 2K12 and likes My Player although I've heard 2K12 is VERY similar to 2K11.

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Originally Posted by Rudy

I think 2K11 was a nice step up from 2K10 except in one area - a rigid hitting system. In 2K11 every outside pitch had to be hit to the opposite field. Every inside pitch had to be pulled. It was far too rigid, unrealistic and made the game boring. Plus I hated seeing a ton of opposite field HRs that happen because of this system. 2K11 still had its share of bugs but I did think it was better. My brother got 2K12 and likes My Player although I've heard 2K12 is VERY similar to 2K11.

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Yeah, I had heard similar comments (a nice step up and about the hitting system) regarding 2K11, unfortunately for me, a nice step up wasn't enough to get me to spend a third $60 on the series. And that I feel was the problem for MLB 2K as a whole. After the debacle that was 2K9, I think that pushed a LOT of former buyers of the series away and kept them from being willing to spend another $60 year after year on the game, when 2K9 was HORRID.

Unfortunately for 2K, and maybe even somewhat unfairly, that pushed 2K and MLB 2K into the corner of having to convince people that the series had taken a turn for the better and was improved over 2K9, that 2K9 was a fluke, etc. Of course, with their dropping sales numbers, they didn't do enough from year to year to convince people that the series truly was improved and the $60 was worth it. 2K9 was essentially the deathblow to the MLB 2K series. The seed of doubt about the series had been planted in the minds of consumers and unless 2K was able to make a game that put The Show to shame, they were going to be faced with that doubt by consumers every year, every release.

Overall, while 2K9 was a complete bomb, 2K was partially set up for failure when the series switched from Kush Games as developer after 2K8 to Visual Concepts for 2K9, so Visual Concepts was left with essentially a 9 month window to try and make the game and release it, resulting in quite possibly one of the worst baseball games console gaming as ever seen.

It's probably the same reason EA cancelled Elite. If you put a stink bomb out there it can cause damage that lasts for years. Hard to overcome that reputation.

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Originally Posted by Rudy

It's probably the same reason EA cancelled Elite. If you put a stink bomb out there it can cause damage that lasts for years. Hard to overcome that reputation.

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Yep. Once MLB 2K got that bad reputation following 2K9, they were in trouble and had to put out an amazing, deep, perfect game. Instead, while as you said it was a step up, there were still numerous bugs and glitches and problems that continued to cause people to not buy the game because if their past experiences or the reputation of the game. After that, there wasn't too much 2K could do.

EA did it right. They realized Elite sucked horribly, they knew it was going to damage the series if they released it as is, so they cancelled it and went back and spent a couple years rebuilding the game.

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Originally Posted by Rudy

Their sales dropped every year with this challenge.

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Their sales may have dropped (I actually didn't think that was true), but I don't think they dropped as much as they would have otherwise.

What I don't understand is why they put so much money into it this year. Kate Upton probably didn't come cheap. Randy Johnson and other MLB vets didn't come cheap. That was a hell of a marketing budget for a series you know is going to end.

Don't forget the RV they have running around the country at baseball stadiums. They put too much budget on advertising and not enough on fixing things. I don't think the game was that far away from being really good but there were just too many odd or annoying things and bugs that would drive you nuts.