SUMMARY
- EA Sports is already known for its global American Football franchise named Madden NFL.
- The company has another franchise focused on college football, which hasn't released a title in a while due to a lawsuit.
Following a settlement between two major collegiate sports licensing firms, the EA Sports College Football game is all set to make a return. Adding to the list of the anticipated releases of 2024 is EA Sports’ dormant college football series which will make a comeback after more than a decade.
EA Sports launched the first-ever college football video game in 1993 with Bill Walsh College Football. The gaming company acquired the licensing rights to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) name in 1998. Post that it created the first installment in its annual franchise, namely, NCAA Football 98.
However, after running successfully for around 15 years, the franchise was paused in 2013 due to a lawsuit filed by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon against the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company. O’Bannon and more than 20 former college athletes collectively accused EA of using his likeness without his permission. As the lawsuit was still going on, EA announced its popular series of college football video games would make a return.
EA and TBG reach a settlement
The Brandr Group (TBG), which holds the rights to negotiate group licensing deals for about 54 Division I schools that are included in the game, argued that EA’s ‘opt-in’ licensing framework for players is an endeavor to evade these contracts.
Meanwhile, EA had been working closely with OneTeam Partners on a deal to give players US$500 for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) to be used in the game, without royalties. TBG claimed that the offer was an attempt to exclude negotiations. Besides it was far below the fair market value and could thus prevent athletes from other more lucrative opportunities in the future.
However, the two parties reached a settlement clearing the way for EA Sports College Football’s next installment to be released. A joint statement regarding the settlement read, “This understanding reinforces their shared vision and commitment toward ensuring the protection and maximization of the NIL value of all collegiate athletes.”
Elaborating on the settlement, the statement mentioned “In the wake of this settlement, the parties have agreed to adopt a model that both complements their respective core businesses while separating and operating as completely independent companies. The Brandr Group and OneTeam Partners have chosen to take this path in the best interest of their organizations, their stakeholders, and most importantly, due to a shared dedication to protecting and promoting the welfare and future prospects of all college athletes.”
It added that “leaders from both organizations emphasize their unified mission: to foster an environment where collegiate athletes’ rights and values are at the forefront of every business opportunity.’
The statement also emphasized that the core belief of both organizations is the “importance of maximizing the value and opportunities available to athletes in the collegiate marketplace.” Thus OneTeam Partners and The Brandr Group promised to collaborate on future initiatives that will benefit athletes and support them throughout their athletic careers.
EA Sports College Football release date
EA had earlier announced a release window of summer 2024 for the release of its next installment of College Football. After the lawsuit was recently settled, the company issued a statement confirming that its development was on track for the release.
EA Sports said,”We are pleased that Brandr has decided to withdraw their claims without any payment from EA. We’ve been clear from the beginning that this suit had no merit. Our focus continues to be on directly licensing individual college athlete name and likeness rights through an opt-in program that will give college athletes the choice if they want to be in our game. We’re pleased to move on from these claims and look forward to delivering EA Sports College Football in Summer 2024.”
Notably, EA Sports had also earlier confirmed that the upcoming game would not be appearing on modern consoles until at least 2024 to give it as much time as possible to launch the game to market.
The last installment of college football video game by EA Sports came out in 2013 and was called NCAA 14. It featured Denard Robinson, the Michigan-based quarterback, on the last cover.
