The gaming world is buzzing with the resurgence of college sports, especially after the triumphant return of EA Sports College Football 26. Releasing July 10, 2025, EA Sports College Football 26 is only a few weeks away and is primed to build on last year’s success. The game became an instant sensation, dominating sales charts and reigniting fans’ passion. This success begs the question: Should 2K Sports, the king of basketball games, follow suit and revive its College Hoops series? With the college sports video game market ripe for the taking, the timing has never been better for 2K to make a comeback.
The revival of College Hoops would not only tap into a vast, eager fan base but also inject fresh ideas into the often-stagnant world of sports gaming. From revamping career modes to celebrating the rise of women’s basketball, a new College Hoops title offers endless possibilities. Here are five compelling reasons why 2K needs to bring back College Hoops and reclaim its collegiate glory.
Who Doesn’t Love College Pride?
The most straightforward reason to revive College Hoops is the immense and passionate fan base craving a new college basketball game. The success of College Football 25 demonstrates the market’s potential. 2K already commands a significant share of the sports game market with NBA 2K. Millions of NBA 2K players also harbor a deep love for college basketball, a passion currently unfulfilled.
These fans yearn to lead their alma mater to victory, experience the thrill of March Madness, and orchestrate Cinderella runs. A new College Hoops game could reignite interest from those who’ve grown weary of NBA 2K’s repetitive nature. The ability to include amateur athletes’ likenesses, now possible, would resonate profoundly with fans. Imagine guiding your favorite college team to the championship with accurate rosters and authentic gameplay.
A Chance To Refresh The “MyCareer” And “MyPlayer” Modes For Long-Time 2K Players
2K needs to overhaul MyCareer and MyPlayer, and a College Hoops game is the perfect vehicle. With years of dominance and no direct competition, innovation has stalled. Career modes often struggle in the modern era of sports games because the money is made in online modes. College Hoops 2K8 is beloved by many for its offline Legacy mode, in which gamers play as coaches as they take over programs, recruit stars, and build dynastic teams. But what about a mode where you get to be the star recruit? In an age where variety is at an all-time low in sports games, having a college version of NBA 2K’s MyCareer, focused on a created athlete, would revitalize that side of basketball games for many who tend to skip buying new releases each year because not enough new features have been added. (Again, an EA parallel here is how refreshing College Football’s Road to Glory mode is compared to Madden’s Superstar mode.)
MyPlayer, 2K’s sort of mode within a mode, a hub in MyCareer where you customize your avatar outside of the mode’s narrative, is what would need to most revamping if it were repurposed for College Hoops. For so many 2K fans, it’s hard to even describe what you really get out of this thing anymore. OG fans can’t stand how much junk 2K has put in between you and just playing the game. And for younger fans, whether they like the experience of MyPlayer or not, the sheer cost of investing in their players is staggering.
Provide A Place For 2K To Experiment With Gameplay
While Madden 25 sales may have suffered due to the overwhelming popularity of College Football 25, EA only profited. Yes, in a monetary sense, but also, crucially, in a gameplay feedback sense. Many preferred the way playing the AI felt in College Football over Madden, which is critical feedback that EA could only get from publishing its own competition. 2K is not short on feedback from fans, but without a competitor, there’s little to no incentive to take risks or truly innovate year after year. But, the publisher making its own college game, ensuring whatever sales it loses from NBA 2K go to College Hoops, is the closest thing to a perfect feedback loop an insatiable shareholder could ask for.
College Hoops can serve as a testing ground for new features and mechanics. Imagine new shooting mechanics or the return of classic gameplay styles, specifically tailored for the college setting. This allows 2K to gather valuable feedback and innovate without risking the core NBA 2K experience. Bring back the Chant Creator and give fans a fresh way to interact with their favorite teams. Much like the relationship between college and the pros in real life, 2K can benefit from having a built-in feeder system for its flagship basketball franchise.
2K Already Has The Legacy And The Infrastructure
2K already holds a stronger position in the college basketball gaming space than EA. College Hoops 2K8 is more revered than EA’s NCAA Basketball 10. 2K can leverage its existing NBA 2K infrastructure and delve into the College Hoops archives to create something truly special. EA would face an extremely uphill battle trying to develop a new basketball game for the first time this decade, especially given the company’s broader struggles outside of its sports vertical. But hey, anything could happen, as both sides have already reportedly explored the idea.
Why not have EA make the next college basketball game? Well, while we’d love to see EA compete in the basketball space again (genuinely this time, not like what they did with NBA Live 19), if you want a college basketball game anytime soon, it’s got to be 2K who makes it.
This Is The Moment To Celebrate NCAA Women’s Basketball
Perhaps the most compelling reason to revive College Hoops is to capitalize on the growing popularity of NCAA women’s basketball. With dynamic players and thrilling tournaments, the women’s game has surged in popularity, while the men’s game faces challenges adapting to the NIL era. A new College Hoops game provides an opportunity to center female basketball players like never before. Imagine USC’s JuJu Watkins as the sole cover athlete of College Hoops 2K26. That would go insanely hard.
2K has been integrating the WNBA more into NBA 2K, but the publisher has the opportunity to not only revitalize the College Hoops franchise by making it more inclusive but also to center female basketball players the way no video game ever has.
The time is ripe for 2K to bring back College Hoops. The resurgence of college sports in gaming, the need for innovation in basketball titles, and the opportunity to celebrate women’s basketball all converge to create a perfect storm. By reviving College Hoops, 2K can tap into a passionate fan base, experiment with fresh gameplay mechanics, and honor the growing popularity of NCAA women’s basketball.
The decision to bring back College Hoops is not just a nostalgic nod to the past but a strategic move towards the future of sports gaming. A new College Hoops title would not only revitalize 2K’s portfolio but also enrich the gaming landscape with a long-awaited and much-deserved tribute to college basketball.
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