NCAA Football 14 News Post

EA Sports Will Not Publish College Football Game Next Year, Future Plans in Doubt

05:23 PM - September 26, 2013 by FloorGeneral

Here is the official statement from EA Sports:

Quote:


	"Today I am sad to announce that we will not be publishing a new college football game next year, and we are evaluating our plan for the future of the franchise. This is as profoundly disappointing to the people who make this game as I expect it will be for the millions who enjoy playing it each year. I�d like to explain a couple of the factors that brought us to this decision. We have been stuck in the middle of a dispute between the NCAA and student-athletes who seek compensation for playing college football. Just like companies that broadcast college games and those that provide equipment and apparel, we follow rules that are set by the NCAA � but those rules are being challenged by some student-athletes. For our part, we are working to settle the lawsuits with the student-athletes. Meanwhile, the NCAA and a number of conferences have withdrawn their support of our game. The ongoing legal issues combined with increased questions surrounding schools and conferences have left us in a difficult position � one that challenges our ability to deliver an authentic sports experience, which is the very foundation of EA SPORTS games. At EA SPORTS, college football has always been a labor of love, and it is unfortunate that these business and legal issues have impacted our ability to make next year�s game. This franchise has been developed by a team that is deeply committed to the tradition and culture of this sport � that�s why fans have always loved it. We are working to retain the talented people who are part of the team by placing them elsewhere within the EA SPORTS organization. In the meantime, we will continue to be connected and engaged with our fans who are playing EA SPORTS NCAA Football. Our decision does not affect our commitment to NCAA Football 14 and the consumers who love playing the game."

Game: NCAA Football 14Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
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Member Comments

# 321 GGGswim @ 09/27/13 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogslax41


	To be fair the unethical exploitation started with the NCAA. They chose to deem it ok to sell players likeness. EA was a co-conspirator but in the end it was the rules put in place by the NCAA that created the anti trust situation.

Finally! Someone that catches on to patient-zero (just watched World War Z; sorry for the off the wall reference there). The NCAA (important, or not, to know: I work in sports media for a D-III college) handed the rights to EA to move forward with likenesses, etc. If it had, instead, stated "we'll allow you to use the logos, bowl games, stadiums, but you're going to need to switch up your numbers (no, the A&M QB can't default to a So. wearing #2) as well as not defaulting DL #7 for So. Car. to be an African-American with other-worldly measureables, among other 'likeness' issues," we wouldn't be in this mess.

This kind of start with the NCAA football franchise would have eliminated it from any type of O'Bannon or Keller lawsuit, which would then have become only about TV money, for example, and where it is and is not being funneled.

EA might should have been a little smarter back then with foresight, but it was tossed the keys to the Land Rover and blindly drove through every obstacle it should have seen coming.

Note #2, I think we are all out of luck when it comes to servers, patches, etc. Those with more knowledge than me about the back end of how things work can shed more light on this, but without an active server does the game 'revert' back to default? Or do the patches continue to work because they were downloaded to your console? One thing I'm pretty sure is an indication is that when running a R2G season as the TAMU QB in NCAA '13 and I couldn't get onto the servers, my uni choices were more limited.

# 322 Spooky @ 09/27/13 03:18 PM

I don't get the whole argument that the scholarship is a trivial reward. How much longer would college football last if they took it away?

I mean its insignificant right? Do away with it and let the players come on their own dime and sign all of the licensing deals they want. I'm sure that would successful....

# 323 C the Lyte @ 09/27/13 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bc21045


	A plan B is a great idea for ANYONE, the point is you can't say "i'm offering you a chance at a plan B so I don't have to pay you for the work you're doing now" and if you're willling to call it compensation then the conversation turns to is it fair/equal compensation and it absolutely is not. The point about them not being prepared is not that the athlete doesn't take advantage of it, it's that they're not capable of taking advantage. The best example is obviously dexter manley who left college illiterate. How was he going to take advantage of a college education? What value was the school providing to him? What an athlete does with their money is of no concern to anyone just like what I do with my money is of no concern to anyone. Who cares if a guy made league minimum (around 300k I believe) for six years and couldn't handle his money? The point about a law student being offered an education in art history is that you can't get a degree in being a pro athlete and the college coaches aren't there to prepare you for the pros. Preparation for an NFL or NBA career is a by product of that coach trying to win right now. So you're giving athletes an education in something they're not interested in and something that won't help them in their chosen career in most cases. Also the athletes are not "privileged" they earned the scholarships.

So, are we to pay the golf teams for their "work"? Are we to pay the band for their "work"?

Where does it end? Heck, let's start paying high school kids for their work. And the middle-schoolers, well, working-class age just got a lot closer for my son!

They aren't offering a chance at a Plan B. You are devaluing the price and advantages of an education.

Your point of a lawyer and art history degree was really a poor example of comparison, but I knew what you were trying to get at. However, there are no degrees that say "NFL Middle Linebacker."

And yes, the athletes aren't privelaged to receive scholarships, they earn them. I never said they were privelaged. I said they receive privelages the average student doesn't. You misread me. That said, there are also some really foolish restrictions on full ride student athletes. That really needs to be revisited.

# 324 kehlis @ 09/27/13 03:31 PM

So...about that college football game that isn't being made anymore.......

# 325 statum71 @ 09/27/13 03:37 PM

Extremely disappointed.

Well, hopefully we can keep this one alive for as long as possible.

Roster updates, tuners, maybe even some DLC........I'd buy.

# 326 kehlis @ 09/27/13 03:39 PM

Okay I'll try again, a little less coy this time.

No more talk about if college players should be payed. That isn't what this thread is about and we've done it enough here.

I'm sure thee is a thread still open discussing it you could dig up if you wanted to.

This thread is about the discontinuation of this series. Not whether or not players should be payed.

Lets keep this thread open.

# 327 JLoco11 @ 09/27/13 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Marlowe


	The money lost would be nothing compared to the end result of the best players not being in college at all. It's most definitely in the best interest of the NCAA to keep these guys in school for as long as possible.

Not if it's done correctly. If a minor league is implemented where the benefits are to stay in college until the pros, then NFL doesn't bury college football with a minor league system.

If the NFL makes it more profitable to stay in school (such as a new CBA that rewards college players with better contracts than high school players, and limits personal branding and marketing), the NCAA still gets athletes, but those who know they can market themselves will head out.

So the Manziel's and Clowney's who established their worth by sophomore year would benefit from a minor league system. Those who came into their own late in their college years like Junior and Senior year would stay in school.

# 328 C the Lyte @ 09/27/13 04:09 PM

Gentlemen, I would love to continue this debate over paid college players, but let's find a more suitable thread.

# 329 kehlis @ 09/27/13 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C the Lyte


	Gentlemen, I would love to continue this debate over paid college players, but let's find a more suitable thread.

Can you start one in the actual NCAA forum instead of the video game forum (if there isn one already)?

# 330 Forestman @ 09/27/13 06:57 PM

This may be a stupid question, but could this issue occur with Madden as well? Or other sports games for that matter?

# 331 blkrptnt819 @ 09/27/13 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazey


	Any company can put a market value on one of their employees, it doesn't mean the employee somehow gets a certain % of profits back from the company.

They do and they usually call them bonuses.

# 332 mva5580 @ 09/27/13 07:53 PM

Please stop telling us to "find a more suitable thread" to talk about whether or not college players should be paid.

The discontinuation of this game is DIRECTLY involving the debate over whether or not a college player should be paid for his likeness being in this game.

Good lord. If you're going to be a mod, do it properly. If you have a problem with that discussion then just delete this thread. This game isn't being cancelled because of poor sales, EA Sports as a company struggling, etc. It's being cancelled because of what you're telling people not to talk about.

This place can usually be pretty heavy-handed when it comes to its mods, and in a lot of instances, I respect that. When people are acting out of line, they need to be put in their place. But understand the conversation here. This game being cancelled has A LOT to do with the discussion of whether or not college players should be paid to be in it.

# 333 blkrptnt819 @ 09/27/13 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhogan3132


	I really hope the servers stay up. As far as this heated debate on compensation I was largely on the side of no extra benefits for a long time. The more I thought about it the more I realized how short sided I was. The TV contracts alone should tell everyone that college football is big buisness. It is very true that college football revenue funds almost all other athletic departments at any university. The hypocrisy is in the NCAA rules that dictate the student athlete. I feel that individual universities should not pay any additional monies to their players. With that being said I believe it is completely unrealistic for a player to not make money from 3rd parties. Why is it a bad thing for a player to be paid for his likeness as it relates to jersey sales or likeness? Currently scholarshiped athletes are not permitted to work. Students on academic scholarship are allowed to work, and if on a full scholarship, are receiving all the same benefits as a student athlete. Yet no one bats an eye at the TV contracts, corporate sponsors, merchandising contracts with Nike etc that generate millions of dollars. The argument that not all players are stars is valid. Eliminate the NCAA rules negating players from monetizing their likeness and let free market dictate their value. The concern that boosters will pad players pockets in hopes of luring them to one school over another will always exist and will never be thwarted, but thats what universities pay the NCAA to do. It's about time that the NCAA see things for what they are, not what they romanticize from glorys past. Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4

The best statement in this whole thread.

# 334 blkrptnt819 @ 09/27/13 08:13 PM

This is really bothering me so I have to say something. How many ppl would care about O'Bannon suing if this game wasn't gonna stop being made? Also why are ppl acting like O'Bannon and the players suing are the bad guys? Students with academic scholarships get the same thing that athletic scholarship players get without the restrictions and without a large amount of their time being governed by an activity.

I just think the way ppl are viewing this situation is absurd and the same thing that is driving the players, is also driving you opinion, self interest. From your point of view the players are costing you one of your favorite games. From their point of view everybody is getting rich off of them but them. You are no different then the ppl you are bad mouthing.

# 335 da ThRONe @ 09/27/13 08:22 PM

Hopefully they can work this out the NCAA are receiving enough heat. This would actually be better for everybody. We could finally have EA use the likeness of the players no waiting on roster updates from random people(no offense). Having the ability to have each player done right with no restrictions.

This could be potentially be a good thing long term.

# 336 mestevo @ 09/27/13 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da ThRONe


	Hopefully they can work this out the NCAA are receiving enough heat. This would actually be better for everybody. We could finally have EA use the likeness of the players no waiting on roster updates from random people(no offense). Having the ability to have each player done right with no restrictions. This could be potentially be a good thing long term.

How are you getting any of that from any of this news?

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

# 337 kehlis @ 09/27/13 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mva5580


	.... Good lord. If you're going to be a mod, do it properly. If you have a problem with that discussion then just delete this thread. This game isn't being cancelled because of poor sales, EA Sports as a company struggling, etc. It's being cancelled because of what you're telling people not to talk about....

I will ignore the immature back handed jab that as you know accomplishes nothing and invite you to re-read my posts because I said nothing of the sort.

I said I'm not going to let this thread turn into what these two threads, amongst many others, turned into (I'll give you a hint, it's the same discussion).

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...deo-games.html

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...name-only.html

If you really want to beat a dead horse and continue to discuss the same thing over and over again where the discussion is always I am right and you are wrong and here's why where no one's mind is going to be changed no matter what anyone says then feel free to bump either of those already de-railed thread to discuss it.

And as I mentioned earlier, there is no reason to let that happen again in this thread....

# 338 Headtrip325 @ 09/27/13 10:03 PM

I personally never thought Sam Keller's likeness was in the game cuz the qb in the game was actually good so in my mind didn't seem like scrubby Keller at all

# 339 blkrptnt819 @ 09/27/13 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUChase


	With as many people as I see complaining and nitpicking every single little detail down to a thread that was stitched wrong on a jersey, I'm honestly surprised so many people are disappointed. Also.. this won't magically improve Madden any more. It's just going to cost a lot of people their job. If there's a chance of EA having to pay up to thousands, there's no way they will keep the entire staff employed and just shift resources. I'm disappointed because I felt like 2014 was a serious improvement and it erased a lot of my concerns and turn offs from NCAA 13. You can't tell me someone in Southern California wasn't putting some money into O'bannon's pockets back then either.. I'm sure he feels real exploited. The whole thing is a god damn joke IMO. Half the players in NCAA don't even look like their real life counterpart. Just think about the amount of jersey numbers that change and then the roster makers in the community have to edit. The only confirmed real life counterparts are the guys who have been cover athletes or have been in special game modes like the Heisman challenge thing. I could go on and on.. I wish we could have just got one good next-gen NCAA game. The case couldn't have come to a head at worse time. We're all ready stuck in limbo with current gen consoles because of great games like Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us, and soon to be Beyond: Two Souls. Now everyone will have to hang on to consoles for NCAA too..

I can tell you with absolute certainty that O'Bannon was NEVER paid by SC... because he went to UCLA.

# 340 Headtrip325 @ 09/27/13 10:15 PM

He said in Southern California not at Southern California and last I checked ucla is in Southern California

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EA Sports Will Not Publish College Football Game Next Year, Future Plans in Doubt