The EA Sports College Football game scheduled for release in 2024 has hit another snag.
The Brandr Group which has facilitated deals with over 50 universities and their athletes for the EA Sports College Football game has filed a lawsuit against EA Sports. In the lawsuit, Brandr claims that EA “is trying to circumvent” its agreements to negotiate deals for athletes to participate in the football game,” according to an article from Front Office Sports.
Currently, players who are set to be in the game are expected to receive $500 for their inclusion in the game. Any school and athlete that wants to be included in the game has until June 30 to opt into the deal according to FOS’s report.
EA Sports’s College Football game is expected to be the first release of the game since 2013 when the company launched NCAA 14. The game would no longer be released following 2013 due to the Ed O’Bannon vs NCAA lawsuit that challenged the NCAA’s use of player image and likeness for commercial purposes. The case would be decided in 2015 by the Supreme Court in favor of Ed O’Bannon and former college football and basketball players with the NCAA being ordered to pay over $42 million.
In 2021, EA Sports announced a relaunch of the College Football series. While it wasn’t originally expected to include actual players, the allowing of Name, Image, and Likeness by the NCAA when it comes to student-athletes, will allow the game to include those who decide to opt-in to be included which ultimately led to this new lawsuit.
At the current time, it’s unclear what type of impact the lawsuit will have on the video game.