EA Sports Is Bringing Back College Football Video Games

People have been clamoring for EA Sports to make a new entry into the franchise for years; however, due to an ongoing dispute involving player likenesses and reimbursement, they could not make one.

So, while we will be getting a college football video game at some point in the future, it won't—at least for now—feature the NCAA Football name.

Speaking to ESPN, EA Sports vice president and general manager Daryl Holt, said this regarding the name change:

"EA Sports College Football gives us a name and a brand to kind of workaround for some things that might evolve as well as what we're focusing on really out of the gate, which is really the FBS Division I schools and the road to the College Football Playoff and College Football Championship...So EA Sports College Football we just felt is the right name for the product for not only now but also as we move forward."

For now, it sounds like the game is going to be released for next-generation consoles (Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5), but it remains to be seen if current-gen will be included as well.

Development is in its early stages, and we likely won't be able to get our hands on the game for a few years.

People have always loved the NCAA Football games for their authenticity and atmosphere—having the school's fight songs, mascots, etc., lent a degree of immersion that always felt missing from the franchise's professional counterpart, Madden.

As part of an agreement with the collegiate licensing company, CLC, EA Sports will have the rights to all FBS schools, their uniforms, and more.

Something the games won't have is actual player names or likenesses. It is an ongoing dispute in collegiate athletics of whether or not players deserve to be paid, considering how much revenue they bring their schools. This was one of the major reasons college sports video games ceased to be made.

As a workaround, at least for now, EA Sports will create their own players in order to create the game.

While it will be a little while before we can play the game, we are just happy we can finally say: "College Football video games are back."