Will NCAA Basketball Return?
The NCAA Basketball Video Game series has been a staple in collegiate basketball fans’ lives for decades. Initially developed by EA Sports, the games allowed players to experience the intensity and excitement of college basketball, with millions of copies sold worldwide. Despite its popularity, the series was discontinued by EA Sports in 2015.
Since then, fans have eagerly awaited the return of the NCAA Basketball series. In this article, we will analyze the current situation and explore the possibilities of NCAA Basketball’s Potential Return.
Why was it discontinued?
Before we get into the possibilities of the series’ revival, it’s essential to understand why EA Sports decided to discontinue the NCAA Basketball series in the first place. The main reason was the Licensing disagreement with the NCAA. As an NCAA-licensed game, it required EA Sports to pay tens of millions of dollars in royalties.
In 2013, the Ed O’Bannon v NCAA lawsuit, which challenged the organization’s use of student-athletes’ likenesses, led to a restructuring of the NCAA’s licensing agreements with game developers. The new agreements meant that EA Sports would have had to pay significantly more in royalties per game, making it less profitable and ultimately leading to the series’ discontinuation.
What’s the situation now?
Fast-forward to present day, and the landscape has changed quite a bit. The NCAA has agreed to allow student-athletes to profit from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This reversal of policy could potentially pave the way for the return of the NCAA Basketball series.
Additionally, the rise of NCAA Football’s revival, currently in development by EA Canada, has sparked hope among fans about the possibility of a similar revival in college basketball.
What are some potential solutions?
Several factors point to a potential return of the NCAA Basketball series:
- Licensing adjustments: With the NCAA’s new NIL stance, the licensing agreement could be restructured to be less costly for EA Sports or new developers.
- New developers step in: Companies like Visual Concepts (NBA Live) or 2K Czech (NBA 2K) could potentially develop an NCAA basketball title, bringing fresh ideas and expertise.
- Indie developers: Entrepreneurial developers could create an NCAA-inspired game, potentially with a low budget and innovative gameplay mechanics.