Is 2K Finally Making a Soccer Game? Breaking Down the Latest Rumors

Soccer fans and sports-gaming players love to dream big — and one of the most consistent dreams is seeing Take-Two Interactive enter the world of soccer with a full-scale simulation title. Every year the rumors swirl… and every year they fade just as fast.

So why are these rumors heating up again? Let’s take a closer look.

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⚽ How We Got Here

• In 2022, EA Sports officially ended its long-running FIFA partnership
• The franchise was rebranded to EA Sports FC
• Reports suggested FIFA wanted $300M annually, double the previous fee
• EA decided the brand value wasn’t worth the cost anymore

While FIFA’s name once helped push sales, the real draw has always been EA’s tech, licenses, and Ultimate Team ecosystem. Fans only got standalone FIFA World Cup titles once every four years — and their quality steadily declined due to licensing and resource limitations.

With FIFA now shopping its brand around, the idea of a competing soccer simulation began to feel possible. Naturally, attention shifted to Take-Two and the studio behind NBA 2K.

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🎮 Take-Two’s History in Soccer Games

Believe it or not, 2K has made a soccer game before:

• Alexi Lalas International Soccer (PlayStation 1 era — 1998/99)

Since then? Nothing on consoles. The only active soccer product in Take-Two’s portfolio is:

• Top Eleven — a successful mobile management title

But creating a AAA console simulation is a different beast entirely. As newer studios like Strikerz Inc. (UFL) have shown, building a soccer sim engine from scratch takes huge investment — and results aren’t immediate. It took EA nearly a decade to reboot College Football into College Football 25.

A soccer reboot would involve:

• Massive development time and tech investment
• Years before profitability
• Tremendous staffing and licensing costs

It’s not a small side project — it’s a top-tier commitment.

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🧩 What’s Changed This Time?

During Take-Two’s latest earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick was again asked about entering the soccer market — and his answer offered transparency about why the challenge is so intense:

“We’re very mindful that it’s incredibly difficult to build a great sim experience for console…”

The biggest challenge? Licensing.

Why licensing soccer is far harder than other sports:

• FIFA’s name does not come with clubs, leagues, or player rights
• To compete with EA FC, a publisher must secure licenses separately
• Football rights are split across dozens of organizations
• No unified player association like:
  • NFL (with NFLPA)
  • NBA (with NBPA)
  • MLB (with MLBPA)

Soccer requires multiple negotiations across:

• FIFPRO (player likeness rights)
• Top domestic leagues
• Individual clubs
• Regional governing bodies

Meanwhile, EA and Konami are still stuck in licensing battles today — leaving fans with unlicensed teams, generic jerseys, and missing competitions.

It’s messy. And expensive.

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🌍 The FIFPRO Factor

If Take-Two ever green-lights a soccer sim, FIFPRO is step one.

Here’s why:

• FIFPRO licenses 70+ player associations worldwide
• Without it, you don’t get real players
• It is only the beginning of the licensing web

FIFPRO unlocks faces and names — but not the stadiums, badges, or league authenticity fans expect.

That means years of negotiation before the gameplay even matters.

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🧠 Final Thoughts: Dream or Reality?

A 2K Soccer title isn’t impossible — but it’s also not imminent.

• The market opportunity exists
• FIFA is actively seeking a video game partner
• Fans are hungry for competition in soccer sims

But…

• Development would take years
• Licensing is a nightmare
• Profitability would be a slow burn

The rumors will continue, and one day they may become more than rumors — but for now, 2K is focused on safer, proven franchises.

When (or if) we see a challenger to EA Sports FC, it will be because Take-Two finally decided the long-term payoff is worth the uphill battle.

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