Update on EA Sports College Football video game release plans

Where things stand at EA Sports as it looks to release the much-anticipated College Football video game despite some recent legal issues

Amid some recent lawsuits over licensing issues and concerns over a possible delay, EA Sports says it still plans to go ahead with the original plan to release its highly anticipated College Football video game next summer, according to On3 Sports.

"We're incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we're looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024," a spokesman for EA said.

The Brandr Group, which negotiates licensing deals for over 50 Division I schools, filed a lawsuit against EA earlier this year. EA reportedly contacted Brandr the year prior to talk over plans to offer NIL deals for athletes, but in the spring, EA elected to work with OneTeam Partners on group bargaining instead.

Brandr argued that it should be allowed to negotiate contracts for athletes at the universities that it represents, and claimed that EA's choice to offer the choice to do a deal that doesn't include Brandr was wrongful interference.

EA then filed a motion to dismiss Brandr's lawsuit, which legal analysts speculated would in all likelihood not stall the release of the game.

EA last issued its popular college football video game a decade ago, back in 2013, after which the company announced that it was discontinuing the game.

That decision followed a court ruling that forced EA Sports to pay compensation to athletes who had previously been included in the product but were not paid.

Then, after the creation of the new NIL rules two years ago, EA went public by announcing that the game would return at some point in the future.

That point in the future is getting closer with every day, and EA believes everything is moving right on schedule.

(On3)

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