NHL 2K11 Wii Exclusive

The NHL is back after the Olympic break, and that's not the only game being resumed. 2K Sports has announced that the NHL 2K series – for now – will appear only on the Wii.

Late last year, the NHL 2K series was conspicuously absent from 2K's upcoming slate of titles, leading to speculation that the series was canceled or at least on hiatus. Now the publisher/developer says that this year's iteration will be a Wii exclusive while the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions hibernate for the year. "We have decided to reevaluate our NHL strategy," read a statement from the company at Joystiq, "and will only be releasing NHL 2K11 for the Wii in fiscal year 2010. We want to become a stronger competitor in this category, and taking a year off on PS3 and Xbox 360, while focusing on making the best possible game for Wii should allow us to accomplish that goal."

Although NHL 2K fans on the two consoles surely will be disappointed by this news, I think this is a win for everyone. Hopefully Wii and sports gamers on the system will get a unique, focused product, and next year when the PS3 and Xbox 360 iterations come back I'd be surprised if developer Visual Concepts isn't able to inject some much-needed life into the franchise. Hell, sports gamers for years have wondered aloud if even the best franchises shouldn't take a year off now and again to regroup.

Is this a shrewd move at the trade deadline or will the series live out the rest of its career down in the minors?