August 15, 2026 19:03
EA's monopoly is being challenged? 2K Games has created a small Axe studio made up of FIFA veterans. Take-Two
EA's monopoly is being challenged? 2K Games has created a small Axe studio made up of FIFA veterans.
Take-Two Interactive has announced the creation of a new in-house studio, Small Axe Studio, to focus on sports.
The most interesting are the leaders of the Vancouver-based team, which includes veterans of EA Sports and FIFA, including executive producer Aaron McCarthy, lead designer Gary Peterson, chief operating officer Tom Pan, lead developer Mike Thompson, and technical art director John Cruise.
According to a press release, Small Axe Studio was formed on the basis of an experimental project launched in 2023 by Sports Lab. It is supposed to reimagine the future of sports games.
Recall that in the last few years, FIFA brand sports have not been released, as the publisher Electronic Arts has refused the license, starting to promote its line of games under the name EA Sports FC.
The only exception was the mobile NFT game FIFA Rivals from Mythical Games, which had an audience of over a million users.
The latest attempt by the sports organization was to collaborate with streaming service Netflix to promote the World Cup, which was held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The result was the unsuccessful mobile game FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition from Delphi Interactive.
In 2024, the head of Take-Two Interactive, Straus Zelnik, said that creating a football simulator capable of competing on equal footing with EA's flagship series is an incredibly difficult task.
The fact is that developers are required to negotiate not only with the federation, but with each football club individually, and in the case of American football, basketball and baseball, negotiations are conducted with the league and the players' association.
The announcement confirms the history of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). At one point in the development of the series from Konami, FIFA outperformed EA in its capabilities, but the promotion was preceded by a lack of licenses for teams and sports tournaments.
According to leaks, a few years ago 2K Games developed in partnership with LEGO several arcade sports games, including the LEGO 2K Goooal! game. However, following the failure of the 2K Drive race, the project disappeared from the radar.
@gm_galactic #game
Take-Two Interactive has announced the creation of a new in-house studio, Small Axe Studio, to focus on sports.
The most interesting are the leaders of the Vancouver-based team, which includes veterans of EA Sports and FIFA, including executive producer Aaron McCarthy, lead designer Gary Peterson, chief operating officer Tom Pan, lead developer Mike Thompson, and technical art director John Cruise.
According to a press release, Small Axe Studio was formed on the basis of an experimental project launched in 2023 by Sports Lab. It is supposed to reimagine the future of sports games.
Recall that in the last few years, FIFA brand sports have not been released, as the publisher Electronic Arts has refused the license, starting to promote its line of games under the name EA Sports FC.
The only exception was the mobile NFT game FIFA Rivals from Mythical Games, which had an audience of over a million users.
The latest attempt by the sports organization was to collaborate with streaming service Netflix to promote the World Cup, which was held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The result was the unsuccessful mobile game FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition from Delphi Interactive.
In 2024, the head of Take-Two Interactive, Straus Zelnik, said that creating a football simulator capable of competing on equal footing with EA's flagship series is an incredibly difficult task.
The fact is that developers are required to negotiate not only with the federation, but with each football club individually, and in the case of American football, basketball and baseball, negotiations are conducted with the league and the players' association.
The announcement confirms the history of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). At one point in the development of the series from Konami, FIFA outperformed EA in its capabilities, but the promotion was preceded by a lack of licenses for teams and sports tournaments.
According to leaks, a few years ago 2K Games developed in partnership with LEGO several arcade sports games, including the LEGO 2K Goooal! game. However, following the failure of the 2K Drive race, the project disappeared from the radar.
@gm_galactic #game