Electronic Arts is exploring the possibility of including players by name in the relaunch of its college football series now that NCAA athletes are able to profit from the use of their name, image, and likeness.
The video game publisher announced its upcoming “EA Sports College Football” title in February after an eight-year hiatus. EA ceased production of “NCAA Football” in 2013 due to legal issues regarding player likenesses.
Bringing the series back should give EA a nice jolt of momentum after an underwhelming year.
The company generated $1.34 billion in revenue in fiscal Q4 2021 compared to $1.38 billion for the same period a year before. Its full-year revenue was stagnant at $5.6 billion — the same as FY2020.
Those lukewarm results haven’t stopped EA from snatching up smaller studios:
- Acquired British racing game developer Codemasters for $1.2 billion in February
- Completed its $2.1 billion purchase of developer and publisher Glu Mobile in April
- Acquired mobile game studio Playdemic from Warner Bros. Games and AT&T’s WarnerMedia for $1.4 billion
“EA Sports College Football” appears to be slated for a July 2023 release.
