The NCAA Settles Video Game Lawsuit For $20 Million

[MichaelAngeloTMNT]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cam Fan

Keep in mind that an injunction to allow players to seek compensation (likely in the form of group licensing) is what is really at stake in this trial. If Judge Wilken rules in O'Bannon's favor (and the NCAA doesn't appeal) things will move QUICKLY with regard to EA pouncing on the opportunity to produce CFB16.

Agree, we will see a college football game in the next few years. I'm unsure if we will see a NCAA Basketball game though. Hopefully, 2K will put one out. I was mad at O'Bannon at first, but now he might pave the way for NCAA video games in the future. O'Bannon might be my hero...

[barsoffury]

The earliest we see the next NCAA football game would be 16 but I'm thinking 17 or 18 realistically. Many schools still won't want to opt in to this type of thing until everything else is ironed out. Football video game money is just a drop in the bucket.

[Cam Fan]

Quote: Originally Posted by barsoffury

The earliest we see the next NCAA football game would be 16 but I'm thinking 17 or 18 realistically. Many schools still won't want to opt in to this type of thing until everything else is ironed out. Football video game money is just a drop in the bucket.

Yeah, I'm being VERY wishful to have a game next year. All I know is that this trial is extremely intriguing.

[TimLawNYC]

Sorry guys, but I actually see this settlement as significantly BAD news for getting new college video games anytime soon. The best outcome from a video game fan's perspective would have been a court's ruling that the "likeness" theory wasn't a valid claim; then it would be harder for players to bring similar claims in the future. The settlement solved nothing in a legal sense, so future athletes could bring the same type of lawsuit if they (or their "likenesses") are featured in games.

The only way we see a game now is if the amateur-athlete model is completely scrapped and players begin to get paid for participation in college athletics; then the players could choose to license their personas for use in video games (just like the NFL players do for Madden). But there is still a lot that would need to happen for this type of system to become a reality, and there are a lot of "ifs" standing in the way of a clear legal path to a new licensed college video game.

If we ever get a new game at all, it is at least several years away.

[crashhat69]

So they're not going to make another ncaa football game because the college players weren't getting money from it?

[MichaelAngeloTMNT]

EA Exec stated today that they want to make NCAA Football games in the future. Now, just have figure out a way to pay these players and they could finally get real players in the game. Praise, Ed O'Bannon, he might have unintentionally, made NCAA video games even better. 90% sure that we will have a NCAA Football 16 or 17. EA was making $80 million a year on NCAA alone.