The return of the "NCAA Football" video game series is not imminent — but it is inevitable, and looks now to be in reach. Over seven years have passed since "NCAA Football 14" was released, and the prospects for the resurrection of the series are looking excellent given the NCAA's move toward college athletes being able to benefit from their name and likeness.
The NCAA Board of Governors on Tuesday voted unanimously to consider updates to bylaws and policies that oversee the ability of college athletes to "benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model." The NCAA's three divisions are to put the new rules into place by January 2021.
“We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” Drake said. “Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships.”
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This news follows California enacting a new law that will give college athletes the ability to profit off their name, image, and likeness. Other states have followed since then, with similar models working their way through the legislative process.
The NCAA appears to be relenting here, enacting an eventual outcome that could be similar to California's Fair Pay to Play Act. Presumably, that means college athletes will be able to hire agents, sell autographs and merchandise, accept endorsement deals and — what many people have been waiting for the most — sell their rights to appear in the college sports video game.
EA Sports was not going to develop a new college football video game until the company knew it was no longer at risk for being sued. With that likely to be cleared up under the new bylaws, all of the partners are expected to come back on board; development of a new game could begin. The other big hurdle, a method in which to pay the athletes for their rights, looks to be on the right path with a potential union being formed in association with the NFLPA.
So when would "NCAA Football" make its triumphant return? The sharing of resources with the "Madden NFL" franchise, and having still-useful assets in place to help with the development turnaround. EA Sports, however, would be wise not to rush the game to market.
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The most reasonable expectation should be for an "NCAA Football 23" to release in July 2022. Landing then would allow for the company to capitalize on a sweet spot in the new generation of consoles, which will come out late 2020. It would probably be too optimistic to expect a full-fledged game that would meet expectations any sooner than that. An "NCAA Football 22" released in July 2021 would barely provide a year and a half for development if it began right now, and the NCAA has yet to make anything regarding new compensation rules official. That could stretch on until January 2021 and it's unclear whether the company would want to get a head start on development prior to that.
The return of "NCAA Football" will be one of the most anticipated releases in sports video game history in the U.S. It will present an opportunity that can't be wasted by putting out a mediocre product. With sagging sales and diminished cultural relevance of the "Madden" series, the "NCAA" franchise will be more important than ever for the publisher's portfolio of games.
Over a decade has passed with uncertainty looming over the future of college sports video games. While today's news provides a clear roadmap to the franchise's return, it doesn't eliminate all of the uncertainty. It is, however, a reason to get excited. The release of a new college football video game could finally be a realistic possibility.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.