2K Sports drops College Hoops license

2K Sports has stated that it will not be renewing the College Hoops basketball license with The Collegiate Licensing Company, going so far as to axe the latest title in the series, College Hoops 2K9.

The College Hoops series has performed well for 2K Sports in the US, with NPD data showing it to be the best-selling college basketball game on the market.

"2K Sports has decided not to continue negotiations with the CLC for the license for its top-rated College Hoops franchise, which would have been released next in November 2008," said the company in a statement.

"We are committed to providing fans with high-quality, critically-acclaimed sports games, but given our disciplined approach to the business, we do not believe the current discussions would result in an acceptable outcome," added the company.

Take Two has long maintained that its sporting division is one of the strongest assets of the company, with the department recently announcing a licensing agreement with boxing promoter Don King for an upcoming title due this spring.

The CLC Consortium has not yet made clear any future plans for videogames based on the basketball license, although some commentators have speculated that pressure from sports rival Electronic Arts may have something to do with the decision by Take Two to drop the franchise from its portfolio.

The CLC Consortium currently has a six-year deal in place with Electronic Arts to create American football games based on the NCAA license, under the EA Sports label.