2K Games

2K Games is one of the most recognizable names in publishing, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive since its founding in January 2005 and the label behind some of the most successful franchises in gaming history. NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, and Mafia all carry the 2K name, and between them they cover basketball simulation, first-person storytelling, cooperative shooters, strategy, and open-world crime. Few publishers operate across that many genres at that level of quality.

I have spent a lot of time with 2K’s catalog over the years. BioShock is one of the best games ever made and Borderlands defined a genre of its own.

2K Games and Take-Two Interactive

2K Games operates as a publishing label under Take-Two Interactive, one of the largest third-party publishers in the industry. Take-Two also owns Rockstar Games, giving the parent company a portfolio that spans 2K’s franchise-driven publishing and Rockstar’s open-world juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Within Take-Two, 2K handles the bulk of the annual release schedule, while Rockstar operates on longer development cycles with fewer but bigger launches.

NBA 2K

The NBA 2K series predates 2K Games itself, having launched in 1999 under Visual Concepts before the 2K label was formalized. It has since become the dominant basketball simulation on the market and one of the best-selling sports franchises in gaming history, with over 110 million copies sold across the series. The annual releases set the benchmark for sports game presentation, motion capture, and career mode depth, though the series has faced consistent criticism in recent years for aggressive microtransaction systems tied to its MyTeam and MyCareer modes.

BioShock

BioShock, developed by Irrational Games under the 2K Boston name and released in 2007, is the franchise that cemented 2K’s reputation for publishing games with genuine artistic ambition. The underwater city of Rapture and the question at the center of the game’s philosophy made it one of the most discussed releases of its generation. BioShock Infinite continued that tradition in 2013 with the floating city of Columbia. A new BioShock entry has been in development at Cloud Chamber, a studio 2K founded in 2019, though no release window has been confirmed.

Borderlands

Borderlands, developed by Gearbox Software and first released in 2009, created the looter-shooter subgenre and built a franchise around cooperative chaos, procedurally generated weapons, and a distinctive cel-shaded art style. The franchise has now sold more than 87 million copies globally. Borderlands 4 released on September 12, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, becoming the biggest launch in franchise history and the third best-selling game of 2025 in the US. A Nintendo Switch 2 version was planned but has been indefinitely delayed.

There’s really something special about the Borderlands humor. It’s chaotic with enough self-awareness that has me giggling at new things every time I play it.

Other Key Franchises

Beyond its three flagship series, 2K publishes Civilization through Firaxis Games, the long-running strategy franchise that has defined the 4X genre for decades. The Mafia series, the WWE 2K annual wrestling releases, and PGA Tour 2K round out a catalog that covers more genres than almost any other publisher operating at 2K’s scale.