2K appears to be working on a new college basketball game, though the wording of their announcement leaves room for interpretation.
On the week of NBA 2K26's release, the developer took to social media to share some exciting news regarding the potential return of its college basketball series.
"Yes, it's true," 2K wrote in announcement on social media. "We're working on a college basketball experience that will feature more than 100 programs from across the country, from powerhouses to Cinderella stories."
It's unclear why 2K would refer to this as a "college basketball experience" and not an actual game. But thankfully it doesn't sound like we'll have to wait too long for some actual details. 2K promised "big plans" for 2027 and beyond, while also teasing "a few surprises" coming in early 2026.
"We've proven the quality o fthe basketball experience we can deliver for years," the announcement reads, "and have every intention to bring that same level fo quality to college hoops."
2K's confirmation of a college basketball experience comes months after the developer had hinted it was working on a college basketball game. In June, following EA’s tease of its own college basketball game, 2K replied to a fan tweet suggesting they should be the ones making it.
EA has since reportedly withdrawn its licensing offer, citing that many schools opted to align with 2K Sports' proposal instead. This would suggest that the experience 2K is developing is a full-fledged college basketball game and not some addition to the NBA 2K series.
2K Sports has an extensive history of publishing college basketball games, dating back to 2002's NCAA College Basketball 2K3 from Visual Concepts. 2K Sports would go on to publish yearly college basketball games all the way up to the final installment in 2007, College Hoops 2K8, which was widely praised for its realism and considered by many to be the best basketball sim ever made.
Unfortunately, the College Hoops series ended after 2K8 due to a combination of licensing challenges and legal pressure related to unauthorized use of college athletes' likenesses. With many of these NIL issues now resolved, college sports are back on the table.
Last year's EA Sports College Football 25 marked the return of a college football video game, which achieved record-breaking sales success. 2K is obviously hoping to achieve similar sales success with a long-awaited return of a college basketball game.