NCAA College Football from EA Sports was one of the most popular sports titles around for a long time until legal issues around player names and images led to the cancellation of the series. EA couldn’t make money from the players’ likeness without paying them, and the players couldn’t be paid thanks to the amateurism rules of the NCAA. Thanks to a 2021 Supreme Court ruling, however, the college football landscape has changed and EA Sports is bringing EA Sports College Football back to a screen near you!
Central to the return of this juggernaut franchise is the ability for EA Sports to compensate athletes for appearing in the game. When NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules changed in 2021, EA Sports revealed they were exploring how best to bring the iconic series back. After some time, it appears that EA Sports is working with OneTeam Partners to manage the NIL aspect of the game. While details are still being finalized, the deal is open to all eligible Division 1 FBS football players. All they have to do is opt-in for the 2024 version of the game and a facial scan will bring them to life digitally. If a player chooses not to opt-in, EA Sports will create a generic avatar and player in their place.
With 120 teams having signed up to be included in the game, it’s unclear just how many players will actually be able to opt-in and be included in the final game. Payments for their appearance are also being finalized, though it sounds like payments will be based on game sales/licenses as well as other measures of success for the game itself, such as concurrent players. What the totals will be and how it will be divided up is still a work in progress, but having a plan and framework already in place shows that EA Sports is not messing around. You can play EA Sports College Football in 2024 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Image from: EA Sports
