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Is 2K Making a Soccer Game? What We Know About Small Axe Studios

2K’s Small Axe Studios is developing a new sports franchise, but 2K has not identified the sport. Former EA FIFA staff have fueled speculation that it could be soccer.
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2K has confirmed a new sports franchise, but it has not said that the game is soccer. The soccer rumor began after former EA Sports FIFA marketer Matt McKie joined 2K as vice president of marketing, and it gained fresh attention when 2K announced Vancouver-based Small Axe Studios. The studio’s sports-game pedigree makes soccer a plausible theory—not a confirmed project.

What did Matt McKie’s promotion at 2K mean?

On November 27, 2025, Insider Gaming reported that McKie had moved from strategic adviser to 2K vice president of marketing. His previous EA roles included senior manager for global product marketing for EA Sports FIFA and, later, global brand director. That background helped fuel speculation about a possible 2K soccer game.

In a statement that Insider Gaming attributed to McKie’s LinkedIn post, he wrote: “Excited to start the next chapter of my career as Vice President of Marketing at 2K. We’re assembling a best-in-class team to fully realize our uncompromising vision for 2K’s next blockbuster sports franchise.” The statement points to a sports-franchise ambition, but it does not name a sport. Insider Gaming’s report also cautioned that McKie’s appointment was not confirmation of a soccer game.

What is Small Axe Studios working on?

On August 13, 2026, 2K announced Small Axe Studios, a Vancouver-based AAA studio led by Aaron McHardy. 2K described the team as working on its next blockbuster sports franchise, without identifying the sport, according to Game Developer’s coverage.

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McHardy previously worked at EA as an executive producer on FIFA, Madden, and College Football. That experience is one reason observers have connected the new studio to soccer, but it does not establish what Small Axe is making. Game Developer’s report identifies his background and the studio’s stated focus; neither confirms a soccer title.

Why are people speculating about a 2K soccer game?

The theory rests on two clues: McKie’s FIFA marketing experience and the EA sports-game experience of McHardy and other team members. Those connections make soccer a reasonable possibility, and follow-up coverage by GameSpot and Insider Gaming noted the renewed speculation after the studio announcement.

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But a résumé is not a project announcement. The cited coverage does not establish that Small Axe’s game is soccer, that it will compete with EA Sports FC, or that it has any particular league, team, or player licensing. The sport itself remains unidentified in the reports.

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What is confirmed—and what is not?

  • Confirmed in the cited reporting: McKie became 2K’s vice president of marketing; 2K announced Small Axe Studios, led by McHardy; and 2K described the studio’s work as a new sports franchise.
  • Not confirmed: that the franchise is a soccer game, that it is intended to rival EA Sports FC, or that it will use any particular license.

As of the reports published on August 13 and 14, 2026, the accurate description is that a 2K soccer game is an unconfirmed possibility. There is no identified game, release date, or official soccer announcement in those reports.

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