EA Sports ceased updating social media accounts for its NCAA Football series in July 2014, but a post on the game's Facebook page brought the account back to life. The post was a video featuring a pulse.
Obviously many were quick to jump to the conclusion that it was teasing the resurrection of the college football video game series. Could it be on the way back? Or was it a hint at something else like backwards compatibility on Xbox One or new content for its Ultimate Team mode? Don't forget, college has at least partially started to make its way back into gaming, as eight licensed schools played a role in NBA 2K16's story mode.
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Unfortunately, in a statement to Polygon reporter Owen Good, EA Sports says there is nothing to the post relating to the video game franchise and instead it relates to the College Football Playoff title game that takes place Monday night. It would seem that such a definitive statement would be all that is needed on the matter. If they were really teasing something, they would have left it open to interpretation and speculation. They even edited into the post "our heart still beats for the big game," which was not there originally.
Canceled in 2014 due to ongoing litigation and a settlement in the Ed O'Bannon class action lawsuit, fans of the long-running NCAA Football video game series from EA Sports have kept hopes alive for its return. There is virtually no chance it goes back into development until a system is in place to pay players. That system could still be a few years away.
EA has opened a door that they can't close. Either something is happening with college football again or they unnecessarily toyed with the emotions of consumers. Sadly, it's probably just the latter.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, is the host of the Press Row Podcast, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.