EA’s NCAA Football Franchise is making a comeback, the company announced. The last iteration of the franchise was NCAA Football 14, which came out in 2013. Since then, the company had to shut down the franchise due to a variety of issues concerning licensing and player likeness. As college players are amateurs, they cannot be paid, therefore there was a huge dispute over whether the series could continue. Good news for college football fans though. Electronic Arts will be bringing back their storied franchise This time around, the game will not include student-athlete’s names (which the game never did, rosters could be edited though), images (such as on the menus), or likeness. While player likeness was a nice attention to detail the EA Sports staff put into the games, it’s not make-or-break for the series. The big thing is, NCAA Football from EA Sports is back. Here is the full press release in full.
“For two decades, EA SPORTS entertained millions of fans by recreating the unparalleled pageantry of college football. The EA SPORTS college football franchise was a consistent top-five sports title in North America during its previous run, generating tens of millions unit sales from 2005-2014. In recent years, college football has been one of the most-requested games by fans from EA SPORTS, and today EA is confirming plans for its official return.
“We’ve heard from the millions of passionate fans requesting the return of college football video games,” said Cam Weber, EA SPORTS EVP and GM. “We love the energy, tradition and pageantry of college football and I am beyond thrilled to say we are back in development. We have a lot of really exciting work ahead of us, and a great team that is eager to bring a new game to players in the next couple of years.”
“We’re very excited to collaborate with EA SPORTS to bring back the college football franchise, one of the most popular collegiate licensed products in our history,” said Cory Moss, CLC CEO. “The college football video game connects passionate fans to college brands and introduces new fans to the storied traditions, excitement, and game day experience that make college football unique.”
The new franchise will deliver authentic college football experiences and the high quality gameplay that fans have long loved in college football games from EA SPORTS. Through the CLC partnership, the franchise will include the rights to more than 100 institutions featuring the logos, stadiums, uniforms, gameday traditions and more that fans have come to know and love. While this college game will not include student-athlete names, images and likenesses, EA SPORTS is continuing to watch those developments closely.
EA SPORTS reaches players all around the globe, and in the past year introduced six new console and PC experiences, as well as ongoing live service offerings on PC and mobile. EA SPORTS franchises delivered sports entertainment to millions of fans with an array of authentic, deep experiences that brought players closer to the sports, teams, and leagues that they love. The return of its most requested franchise will only accelerate momentum and player excitement.
EA SPORTS will reveal more about the new college football franchise and related product launch timings in the future. To stay updated on the latest EA SPORTS and college football news, follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or visit easports.com.”
This is great news. EA’s NCAA Football is making a comeback, and it couldn’t be at a better time. It is uncertain when the first game will hit store shelves, but hopefully, NCAA Football 22 (it would come out in 2021) is not far on the horizon. I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly excited to be able to play as my Rutgers Scarlet Knights once more.