Ten years ago at this time of year, millions of gamers around the world would be playing NCAA Football on their video game consoles. While some may still fire up their old systems, playing old releases of the EA Sports college football series, there hasn’t been a new release of the game since 2014. That could be changing next July with the release of what could be NCAA Football 24, or some variation of the name.
Why NCAA Football video games could be coming back
Originating in 1993, when it was then called Bill Walsh College Football, the video game series ran for 20 years, before the NCAA chose not to renew its contract with EA Sports in July of 2013. This was in large part due to their ongoing legal dispute over player likenesses
Now, fans of the extremely popular video game series have gained renewed hope of having a new NCAA Football game to play as of late. This is in large part thanks to rule changes allowing student athletes to profit off their name, image, or likeness (NIL) used in the video game.
Even more so, there’s actual proof of a possible return, with the game development reportedly already in “full swing“.
EA’s aim is to release a stand-alone college football game in July of 2023, allowing for the two-year game development window necessary for collecting game assets and developing game play to meet the current market demands for a unique college football game while following NCAA guidelines
Matt Brown of Extra Points
If this is true, fans could finally have another option to play a football video game that includes the actual player representation of the same athletes they’ve come to enjoy. With modern graphics and technology.
While the Madden NFL series has its fair share of fans, it also has plenty of haters. Before when the games were new, many gamers preferred the NCAA Football series over Madden, if EA Sports could replicate similar success with the return of a college football video game, they’ll sell millions of copies, or downloads.
Related: Top 25 college football rankings 2022: Alabama, Ohio State on top entering summer