2K (company) facts for kids
Logo since 2021
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 25, 2005 in New York City, U.S. |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Parent | Take-Two Interactive |
| Subsidiaries | See § Studios |
2K is an American company that publishes video games. It is based in Novato, California. The company started in January 2005. It was created by Take-Two Interactive, which is a bigger company. 2K was formed from two main parts: 2K Games and 2K Sports.
When it started, 2K included several game development studios. These included Visual Concepts and Kush Games. These studios were bought by Take-Two Interactive just before 2K was created. 2K was first located in New York City. In 2007, it moved to Novato, California. Later, a third part, 2K Play, was added in September 2007. David Ismailer is the president of 2K, and Phil Dixon is the chief operating officer (COO). 2K also has a special studio in Petaluma, California that captures human movements for games.
Contents
How 2K Started and Grew
On January 24, 2005, a company called Take-Two Interactive bought Visual Concepts. Visual Concepts is a studio that makes sports video games. They created popular games like NBA 2K and NHL 2K. Take-Two paid about $24 million for Visual Concepts. This deal also included its smaller studio, Kush Games. It also gave Take-Two the rights to the "2K" game series.
The very next day, Take-Two created the 2K publishing company. This new company had two main parts: 2K Games and 2K Sports. 2K Sports focused only on sports games. Visual Concepts and Kush Games became part of this new 2K company. Other studios like Indie Built and PopTop Software also joined.
In January 2006, the 2K offices in New York City had a big fire. Because of this, in June 2007, the company moved its main offices. They relocated to Novato, California. This move brought them closer to their Visual Concepts studio.
In September 2007, 2K added a third part called 2K Play. This part focused on casual games, which are simpler games for everyone. Take-Two also announced a partnership with Nickelodeon. This allowed them to make games based on Nickelodeon TV shows. 2K Play also took over games from another Take-Two publisher called Global Star Software. This included the studio Cat Daddy Games and the popular game Carnival Games. In January 2013, 2K got the rights to make video games about the professional wrestling company WWE.
In May 2017, Christoph Hartmann, who was the president of 2K, left the company. He had worked for Take-Two for about 20 years. David Ismailer, who was the chief operating officer, became the new president. Phil Dixon became the new COO in November 2017. Melissa Bell joined in April 2018 as a senior leader for marketing.
In September 2018, 2K started a program called 2K Foundations. This program helps communities by fixing up basketball courts. They work in neighborhoods that need them the most. Microsoft also joined this effort. They helped set up gaming stations with Xbox One S consoles at these courts. 2K Foundations planned to fix 12 basketball courts in different U.S. cities in its first year.
In March 2021, 2K bought HB Studios. This studio had made golf games like PGA Tour 2K21 for 2K. This purchase gave 2K the rights to the Golf Club game series. 2K also signed a deal with famous golfer Tiger Woods. He became an advisor for future PGA Tour 2K games. Later that month, 2K bought a part of HookBang, a company in Austin, Texas. This team had helped with the NBA 2K series. This new studio was renamed Visual Concepts Austin. In September 2022, there was a security issue with 2K's customer support team. Some user information was accessed during this event.
2K Game Studios
2K has many game development studios around the world. Here are some of them:
- 2K Madrid in Madrid, Spain (started in 2021)
- 2K Chengdu in Chengdu, China (started in 2011)
- 2K Sports Lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (started in 2023)
- 2K Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. (started in 2006)
- 2K Valencia in Valencia, Spain (bought in 2021)
- 31st Union in San Mateo, California, U.S. and Valencia, Spain (started in 2019)
- Cat Daddy Games in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. (bought in 2003)
- Cloud Chamber in Novato, California, U.S. and Montreal, Canada (started in 2019)
- Firaxis Games in Hunt Valley, Maryland, U.S. (bought in 2005)
- Hangar 13 in Novato, California, U.S., Czech Republic, and England (started in 2014)
- HB Studios in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada (bought in 2021)
- Visual Concepts in Novato, California, U.S. (bought in 2005)
Studios That Are No Longer Active
Some studios that were once part of 2K have since closed or merged:
- 2K Australia in Canberra, Australia (closed in 2015)
- 2K China in Shanghai, China (closed in 2015)
- 2K Czech in Brno, Czech Republic (merged into Hangar 13 in 2017)
- 2K Hangzhou in Hangzhou, China (closed in 2016)
- 2K Los Angeles in Camarillo, California, U.S. (closed in 2008)
- 2K Marin in Novato, California, U.S. (closed in 2013)
- Frog City Software in San Francisco, U.S. (closed in 2006)
- Indie Built in Salt Lake City, U.S. (closed in 2006)
- Irrational Games in Westwood, Massachusetts, U.S. (closed in 2017)
- PAM Development in Paris, France (closed in 2008)
- PopTop Software in Fenton, Missouri, U.S. (merged into Firaxis Games in 2006)
- Venom Games in Newcastle upon Tyne, England (closed in 2008)
Games Published by 2K
2K publishes many well-known video game series. Here are some of the most popular ones:
- BioShock (since 2007)
- Borderlands (since 2009)
- Civilization (since 2005)
- Mafia (since 2010)
- X-COM (since 2012)
- NBA 2K (since 2005)
- PGA Tour 2K (since 2018)
- WWE 2K (since 2013)
- Top Spin (2005–2011, since 2024)
Games No Longer Published by 2K
2K used to publish these game series, but they no longer do:
- College Hoops 2K (2005–2007)
- MLB 2K (2005–2013)
- NHL 2K (2005–2014)
See also
In Spanish: 2K Games para niños
