After being missing in action for years, Electronic Arts announced today that it will be making college football video games again. EA is working with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a well-known licensing partner for many schools, to secure the use of over 100 teams in the FBS, including the stadiums, mascots, and uniforms used by these institutions.
EA Sports College Football is currently in the works and still very early in its development cycle, with no launch window currently revealed yet. More importantly, EA Sports College Football won’t use any real names or players’ likenesses.
EA Sports College Football will be the first college football simulation game released by EA after the publisher canceled the series in 2013 after former college athletes brought a class-action lawsuit against EA for the unauthorized use of their likenesses in its NCAA Football titles. EA would reach a settlement in 2016 for $40 million.
The announcement of college football video games returning comes at an interesting time for sports fans. Last year, 2K announced that it would be making NFL games again, with the first one slated to launch this year, but they would be non-simulation titles due to an existing partnership between EA and the NFL.