It’s almost been 10 years since the last NCAA college football video game was released. NCAA Football 14 was the last installment of the popular EA Sports video game franchise. Michigan fans probably remember that game vividly, not only because it was the last one to come out, but former Wolverine great Denard Robinson was on the cover.
EA Sports announced back in early 2021 that the video game would return, but there have been multiple hurdles to jump through for the game to actually return, like Name Image and Likeness.
On Wednesday morning, Michael Rothstein with ESPN, made a huge announcement for the future of the NCAA football video game.
EA Sports and OneTeam have officially partnered together to compensate all the college football players that want to be in the video game in 2024.
BREAKING: FBS football players will be able to be in EA Sports’ new college football game, I’ve learned.
EA Sports & OneTeam have partnered to handle NIL rights for any FBS player who is eligible to be in EA Sports College Football.
Details here 👇🏻https://t.co/FeUMftzMRB
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) May 17, 2023
While the details of how much money the student-athletes may make for being in the game aren’t final yet, Rothstein noted in the ESPN article that the partnership will facilitate all the name and likeness into the game next season, as long as the players want to opt into the game. If a player would choose not to be in the video game, then EA Sports would create a generic avatar in that spot.
When the first version of a college football video game in years comes out next summer, the virtual likenesses of actual players will be in the game.
An EA Sports representative confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that it has contracted with OneTeam Partners to “facilitate collegiate athletes’ names and likenesses” into the game, solving one of the major questions about college football’s return to the video game space.
The partnership will include the chance for all eligible FBS players to opt in to have their likenesses in EA Sports College Football, the representative said. Those players will receive compensation for being placed in the game.
So far more than 120 FBS schools, all 10 conferences, and the College Football Playoff have opted into the video game for next year according to the article. The goal for EA Sports is to have every college team in the game come 2024.
The game is expected to be released in July or August of 2024.
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