Kotaku story here, seems 2K sports felt they couldn't gain any traction against EA's series.  I haven't played a NHL 2K game since 2K7, though I always liked the idea of competing NHL games for the fact that it forced both companies to try and one up each other in gameplay and features. Now that it seems like EA has taken the reigns for good, hopefully they'll continue to produce a top quality  product and innovate their gameplay and features, hopefully they won't rest on the fact they're the only game in town.

I own NHL 2k9...it's not good.  If they don't want to put the effort into making a high quality product, that's their choice.

I would love a portable version of NHL 12. Make it happen, EA!

2K's NHL games were my greatly preferred product on the PlayStation 2, but as soon as EA started making their hockey game on the 360/PS3...i think calling 2K's efforts "competition" may not be totally accurate. 
 
i wouldn't underestimate that studio's passion for making a good hockey game. they're canadians, for cryin' out loud. 
 
also, it's not like this is the first year EA has run unopposed in the NHL video game market (on 360/PS3, at least).

Did anyone really buy the 2K games? Every single person I know who likes hockey (same thing as every person I know in Canada) just gets the NHL ones.

So that just leaves NBA 2K and MLB 2K left as 2K sports games?

Nba 2k is actually good though.

EA's franchise has pretty much already been running unopposed the past few years. 2K hockey games haven't been good.

2K10 was way better than NHL 10 IMO. 

this is old news 2k is going to take a year offf from hockey to refine it.

NBA 2k is godlike thou

The last NHL 2K game I bought had a close up of Jeremy Roenick on the front in a Flyers jersey. It kicked ass over the EA NHL series at the time. For a few years the 2K games were far superior. Then 360 happened and the NHL series upped the quality in a big way.