EA Sports just announced they plan to bring back the popular NCAA Football video game franchise. Last released in 2013, ESPN confirms the game is making a comeback.
247Sports does an update each year to the hypothetical cover art showing what player(s) might grace the cover were the game still being produced. No Sooner ever made the cover of the game in it’s 18 year run, but that would most certainly have not been the case after back-to-back Heisman trophy winners. At least Mayfield or Murray would no doubt have been on it, but could we take the hypotheticals one step further, and say that the Sooners would be the first to have back-to-back covers Sounds pretty good.
Also, how freaking fun will Lincoln’s offense be in this game?
For now, EA Sports is planning to move forward without rosters that include the names, images or likenesses of real college players. Current NCAA rules prohibit athletes from selling their NIL rights while in college.
However, those rules are likely to be changed at some point in the coming year — by the NCAA, state legislatures or Congress. It’s not yet clear whether the evolving rules will allow for the kind of group licensing arrangements that would be needed for EA Sports to negotiate with athletes to use their names in the game.