EA Sports is reportedly being sued over its upcoming college football game, which is set to be released in the summer of 2024.
NCAA Football is one of the most popular sports video games of all time. Including features like Road to Glory and dynasty mode, it was last released in July 2013 with NCAA Football 14.
The game was discontinued after the NCAA announced in July 2013 that it would not renew its licensing agreement with Electronic Arts over ongoing legal disputes regarding player likeness in the game and the absence of compensation for said likeness.
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However, the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness rules to compensate student-athletes for companies using their likeness opened the door for the game to return. Now, just a year out from its release, EA Sports is encountering new hurdles.
According to Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports, EA Sports is now being sued by The Brandr Group over the name, image and likeness deals being offered to student-athletes.
The two sides had previously been in talks on NIL compensation for college football players to be named and featured in the next year’s game. Before the lawsuit, the company was offering $500 per athlete who permitted the use of their likeness, without any royalties.
Justin Falcinelli, the College Football Players Association president, told On3.com, that the CFPA is organizing a boycott of the 2024 EA Sports video game and is cautioning players to not accept the offer made by EA and OneTeam Partners.
“You should not participate in this. It is a simple cash grab to just try to get you for the lowest amount possible. And it’s OneTeam Partners and all these organizations that don’t really represent the players’ best interest.”
Justin Falcinelli, president of College Football Players Association, on his message to college football players being offered $500 by EA Sports
Meanwhile, reports have indicated that the NCAA schools agreeing to allow EA Sports to use their stadiums, logos and uniforms would receive revenues amounting to approximately 10 percent of what the game is expected to bring in after its release.
The Brandr Group is arguing in court that it should be allowed to negotiate any contracts for athletes that it represents and claimed that EA Sports’ decision to offer opt-ins to players without including The Brandr Group is “tortious interference.”
While the lawsuit and the boycott are small issues for EA Sports, neither is expected to have an impact on the eventual release of NCAA Football 2024. EA Sports could return to its previous model, using NCAA schools in the game but generating random players whose names and likenesses don’t reflect any current college football players.
The upcoming video game will still have representation for any of the players who opted into the deal offered by EA Sports and OneTeam Partners, with the deadline set for June 30.
As of now, the upcoming release of “EA Sports College Football” is still on track for a 2024 release. Considering that the last game sold more than 1 million copies, the next release is expected to be a massive success for EA Sports.