EA Spots wanted to let fans know that it still gets excited about college football, but now it’s clarifying that this enthusiasm doesn’t mean that the sports studio is making a new game.
NCAA Football isn’t coming back. This is despite a post on the EA Sports NCAA Football Facebook page today that shows a video of a heartbeat monitor. Tonight is the NCAA football National Championship game between Alabama and Clemson.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1861785,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,games,","session":"B"}']An EA spokesperson provided GamesBeat with the following official statement:
“We have no new plans or announcements to make regarding the EA Sports NCAA Football series. Today’s National Championship game reminds us more than ever that the hearts in our community still beat for college football.”
In September 2013, Electronic Arts revealed that it was getting out of the college football business. This was partially a result of the potential lawsuits it would face from not paying the amateur players depicted in those games. EA has previously lost a case where plaintiffs (former college athletes) alleged that the company’s games used their likenesses without permission.
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This dearth of college football games has led to a community of players coming together to keep NCAA Football 14 alive on Xbox 360. That was the last entry in the series, and fans have maintained rosters and even helped modify the game with a postseason mode that works just like College Football Playoff series.
With that kind of dedication to a defunct franchise, it’s no surprise that an ambiguous Facebook post got fans riled up. They don’t really have any other viable options other than updating NCAA Football 14 — which means fans are stuck on older hardware and a game that is starting to really show its age.
But this fan outcry probably won’t convince EA Sports or the NCAA to move ahead with a new game. That would cause critics to point out that once again the NCAA and corporations are making money from college football while the athletes are once again left out from cashing in on their skills.
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