02-28-2025, 11:30 AM
News - EA "Won't Rule Out" Returning To College Basketball After Success Of College
<p>EA Sports College Football 25 was the biggest sports game ever in the US according to Circana, and it seems that the publisher is considering bringing back its take on college basketball, which has been dormant for more than a decade. In a recent report from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6161718/2025/02/27/ea-sports-college-football-26-video-game-sales/">The Athletic</a>, EA Sports senior vice president Daryl Holt said that college basketball (and other sports) remain a possibility, but reiterated that American football is still the publisher's main priority.</p><p dir="ltr">"There was a clear need, want, desire from our community and the faithful were there [for college football]," Holt said. “As developers, we try to figure out how we can get creative on reaching other aspects of sports, whether that be a smaller sport or one that doesn't have a game. But right now, my focus has been on American football. We'll keep looking for those things, but as a developer and working in sports, you're always tapping your head going, what else could be possible?”</p><p dir="ltr">The last EA Sports-published NCAA basketball game, NCAA Basketball 10, came out in 2009 and featured the now-retired dunk contest champ Blake Griffin as the cover athlete. While any plans for a new college basketball game remain quite nascent, it's likely that EA would try to get as many student athletes as possible to sign to a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. More than 11,000 FBS football players opted into CFB 25's deal last year, receiving $600 and a copy of the game as compensation for their NIL rights. The NIL deal for CFB 26 is reportedly still being negotiated, though EA declined to comment on those plans. The CFB series itself lay dormant for more than a decade, the last release coming in 2012 before last year's revival restored its fortunes.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-wont-rule-out-returning-to-college-basketball-after-success-of-college-football/1100-6529761/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-won...01-10abi2f
<p>EA Sports College Football 25 was the biggest sports game ever in the US according to Circana, and it seems that the publisher is considering bringing back its take on college basketball, which has been dormant for more than a decade. In a recent report from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6161718/2025/02/27/ea-sports-college-football-26-video-game-sales/">The Athletic</a>, EA Sports senior vice president Daryl Holt said that college basketball (and other sports) remain a possibility, but reiterated that American football is still the publisher's main priority.</p><p dir="ltr">"There was a clear need, want, desire from our community and the faithful were there [for college football]," Holt said. “As developers, we try to figure out how we can get creative on reaching other aspects of sports, whether that be a smaller sport or one that doesn't have a game. But right now, my focus has been on American football. We'll keep looking for those things, but as a developer and working in sports, you're always tapping your head going, what else could be possible?”</p><p dir="ltr">The last EA Sports-published NCAA basketball game, NCAA Basketball 10, came out in 2009 and featured the now-retired dunk contest champ Blake Griffin as the cover athlete. While any plans for a new college basketball game remain quite nascent, it's likely that EA would try to get as many student athletes as possible to sign to a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. More than 11,000 FBS football players opted into CFB 25's deal last year, receiving $600 and a copy of the game as compensation for their NIL rights. The NIL deal for CFB 26 is reportedly still being negotiated, though EA declined to comment on those plans. The CFB series itself lay dormant for more than a decade, the last release coming in 2012 before last year's revival restored its fortunes.</p><a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-wont-rule-out-returning-to-college-basketball-after-success-of-college-football/1100-6529761/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f/">Continue Reading at GameSpot</a>
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-won...01-10abi2f