John-ShepardBad news if you're a big fan of EA's NCAA Football franchise.
The NCAA has opted not to renew its licensing contract with Electronic Arts, although the publisher has confirmed that they will continue to make college football video games.
EA Sports executive vice president Andrew Wilson released a statement, saying the first next-generation NCAA Football title is already in development; it simply won't feature the NCAA names and trademarks:
"By now, most fans will have heard that EA's licensing agreement with the NCAA is set to expire and that we have agreed to part ways. I'm sure gamers are wondering what this means.
This is simple: EA Sports will continue to develop and publish college football games, but we will no longer include the NCAA names and marks. Our relationship with the Collegiate Licensing Company is strong and we are already working on a new game for next generation consoles which will launch next year and feature the college teams, leagues, and all the innovation fans expect from EA Sports.
We took big creative strides with this year's college game and you’ll see much more in the future. We love college football and look forward to making more games for our fans."
Remember when EA cornered the market on pro football gaming, so-to-speak? They secured the exclusive NFL rights, which basically killed off the competition ( NFL 2K had to die an unfortunate death). Now that the licensing agreement with the NCAA is done, will this open the door to other competitors…? Will 2K Sports give it a go?
Given that EA has been laying off staff and closing studios, they probably were reluctant to spend the amount that the NCAA was asking for the license fee. The contracts that the individual conferences have negotiated with broadcasters have run into hundreds of millions, although the NCAA name might go for less. They may be willing to put out new college titles, but if they don't have the license (and the stamp of approval that that this conveys) wouldn't that reduce the appeal?
I Play NCAA Football every year and enjoy it greatly, not so much Madden. It is the ability to create my own team and start as a Cupcake independent school and then work my way into a conference that I like best. As long as the new game has the schools and conferences along with the ability the create the teams and recruit players, I will continue to buy the games.
I don't get how you make the game without the team and player names.
The have a relationship with the Collegiate License Authority which is a separate entity, so they have the team names, logos and players.
They just can't call it NCAA?
I'm sure that they can still make the game, it's just not exclusive to just EA now