Last night Sean O'Brien, the lead producer for NBA Live 10, blogged about Mike Wang leaving EA Canada and heading back to the US. Conveniently enough, this announcement coincided with a tweet by Ronnie 2K, an employee at 2K Sports, that said "huge news on the NBA front" was coming in the morning.

At this point the speculation began, but there was really no reason to analyze these two pieces of news like they were threads in an episode of Lost. Mike Wang is back at 2K Sports, and in addition to that fact, he is already working on NBA 2K11.

Operation Sports got a chance to talk with Mike Wang and NBA 2K producer Erick Boenisch about why Mike is returning to the NBA 2K franchise, why he left EA and what this all means for NBA 2K11.

Operation Sports: Obviously, the first question is what made you leave the NBA Live team Mike?

Mike Wang: My main goal ever since I got into this industry has been to help create the ultimate NBA hoops sim. After spending time with both Visual Concepts, working on NBA 2K6-2K8, and then with EA the past couple years, I realized that if I wanted to achieve my goal, returning to Visual Concepts was the right move to make. I met some great people in Canada (both inside and outside of EA), but it is definitely great to be back home.

OS: When did you leave or decide to leave the NBA Live team, and when did you return to the NBA 2K team?

Mike: After NBA Live 10 wrapped up and we started going through the pre-production planning phase for '11, we held several meetings to discuss the future of the franchise. After going through those meetings, it became very clear that the vision I had for the game was different from where the leadership wanted to take it. I parted ways with EA shortly after and came back on-board with the NBA 2K team last November.

OS: After you left EA, did you immediately think about coming back to Visual Concepts? Was Visual Concepts the only development studio you considered?

Mike: Absolutely. The moment I stepped out the door after NBA 2K8, I missed the game, the guys I was working with and just the overall way VC, as a company, operates. It is easy to take things like that for granted, and sometimes you have to lose them to really understand just how valuable they are. Fortunately for me, I have been given a second chance to work with the best team in the business doing what I love to do. And yes, VC was the only studio that I considered returning to.

OS: A couple years ago you left the NBA 2K team. So has something at the studio changed since you left that specifically made you want to come back?

Mike: The studio and development team here at 2K has evolved quite a bit since I left. They have added some incredible new talent, including absorbing the College Hoops 2K guys, which has made coming back that much more exciting. I would not say that is what prompted me to want to come back, but it is definitely a different dynamic here, and I am really excited for what we are going to be able to build together.

OS: Erick, did Mike tell you guys ahead of time that he was considering returning to Visual Concepts, or were you surprised to find out Mike was or might be coming back to the studio?

Erick Boenisch: Mike was very respectful of his employer and did not contact Rob or I until he had made his own decision. Obviously, upon hearing the news, we were very excited about bringing Mike back home to 2K where he belongs. We have a very talented and experienced development team working on the NBA 2K franchise, so when you get the opportunity to add experience to an already experienced team, people tend to get excited, and rightfully so. We have some special stuff in the works for NBA 2K11, and it is going to show this fall when the game is released.

OS: Mike, you have bounced around a bit during your development career [Mike previously worked on Microsoft's Inside Drive series, then went to 2K Sports before heading to EA Canada]. Are you planning on sticking around at Visual Concepts this time around?

Mike: I told Greg Thomas [president of Visual Concepts] he could sign me to a long-term contract if he wanted to. But yes, I have every intention of sticking with VC for the long haul.

OS: Did you return to 2K early enough to get involved in the grand scheme of things for NBA 2K11? In other words, are you fully involved with this development process and the "big ideas" that are going into the game this year, or is next year going to be your first "full" year working on the series again?

Mike: One of the wonderful things about this company, its tools, workflows and processes is that everything is very efficient, and it is just easy to get things done. So yes, everything that I wanted to work on this year has been incorporated into the plan. The interesting thing is, when I first spoke with Rob Jones [gameplay director for NBA 2K] about coming back, many of the things that I wanted to do were already in the works. Rob and I have always seen eye to eye on what makes a great basketball game, so we were able to get back into the groove of things very quickly. It was very refreshing to talk about the state of the current basketball games and start bouncing ideas off of each other again -- just like old times. And with the addition of Zach and Jerson, the College Hoops 2K gameplay producers, I could not have hoped for a stronger gameplay design/production team to work with. Personally, it did take me a couple weeks to get up to speed on all the new tools and features that the guys have been working on the last couple years, but now we are firing on all cylinders, and we are creating a title in NBA 2K11 that I know hoops fans are going to love.

OS: Erick, was there anything in particular you guys were lacking on the development side of things after Mike headed to EA?

Erick: Fortunately for us, we had some very talented individuals step into the NBA gameplay design role with the demise of College Hoops 2K. Mike has stepped right in and worked seamlessly with these guys. When you put a lot of great minds together, great things happen, and we are already seeing that with NBA 2K11.

OS: Mike, what is your role going to be now that you are a part of the the NBA 2K development team again? What areas will you be most focused on?

Mike: My role is pretty much the same as when I left after NBA 2K8, and my focus will never change: the five-on-five on-court experience. I am really excited to let everybody know what we, as a gameplay team, have in store for you this year. But that will have to wait for now.

OS: Overall, what does this mean for the development team working on the NBA 2K series?

Erick: The NBA 2K development team has very little turnover, which I think speaks volumes to the pride and dedication each member has towards delivering the most authentic simulation basketball experience possible. The goal for our team is very simple, deliver the absolute best game of basketball to our fans. With that in mind, our team was very excited to see Mike step in and do what we know he is capable of. The real winner here is our fans, who will reap the benefits of this great addition to our team.