NCAA Football 14 News Post

Peter Moore on NCAA Football, "We'll Be Back"

03:39 PM - August 31, 2016 by RaychelSnr

NCAA Football is always going to have a bit of speculation around when/if/maybe someday it will return.

In an interview with IGN, EA Chief Competition Officer Peter Moore added his voice to the chorus of speculation with a rather optimistic tone.

Check out the quotes from the interview compiled by Polygon's Owen Good:

Quote:


	�NCAA Football became the lightning rod for bigger issues regarding college athletes getting paid for their performance, not only in football but all college sports,� said Moore, who was EA Sports president from 2007 to 2011. �And their likeness. It was a sad day when we realized, �We are in the sights of a number of lawsuits.� A number of athletes which were all combined eventually into one singular suit and said, �That�s me.� When your lawyers� fees are more than the revenue you can expect to get in. "It was an unclear future for us,� Moore said. �It was a really sad day and we said, �We just can�t do this anymore.� And one day I know we�ll be back.

Currently there's still no traction for a game to actually make a comeback since the lawsuit's settlement checks are still going out.

As we've reported in the past, NCAA Football will only make a comeback when the legal structures of the NCAA change to allow players to be paid. A game with generic rosters would still not be a legally viable option and most likely several schools would balk at such an effort anyways -- thus it's unlikely anything but a fully licensed game with real players on real teams will be shipped. EA will almost certainly not pursue a college game of any kind unless there is a zero percent chance of a lawsuit.

So while we appreciate Moore's optimism, it does look like we're still in a holding pattern waiting on the NCAA to do something right.

In other words, the world may look like this before a NCAA Football game ships again.

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Member Comments

# 21 jsr862 @ 09/01/16 05:21 PM

I never understood from day one... They spent x amount of hours on creating a realistic roster.... why not flip it and just take x amount of hours to make sure that no one is close to the real player for that year. Its just a vice versa and same amount of time goes into it..

and wouldnt hurt to put a disclaimer at the start of the game stating all generic players, something like MLB the show does with seizures

# 22 tessl @ 09/01/16 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwilphl


	I'm curious as to why you say "a game with generic rosters would still not be a legally viable option..." If there is no player-likeness concern, a player cannot then claim, "you are using my likeness without my consent." I agree that EA specifically may not want to pursue a game with fake players (they'll claim that authenticity matters) but that's not the same as EA failing to pursue it because of concerns over liability. I think we are at least five years away from another game, if it ever did return. The NCAA will never allow players to be paid. They've relented a bit on additional stipends for living costs, but that is as far as the NCAA will ever go. The organization will have to collapse in on itself before that ever changes. If for whatever reason EA refuses to make another game until players are able to paid/commercialized, then we simply won't see another NCAA licensed football game again. I think the bigger concern is in regards to further conference and school autonomy. It was easier to license the bulk of the schools in the past because they all operated under one essential umbrella. Granted the rising cost of the NCAA license was a concern, largely why 2K dropped out of the market altogether, but in the present and into the future, any game developer will have to negotiate terms with a much larger number of organizations. It remains to be seen how willing all those separate schools and conferences are to get back into this field, even if it means additional revenue. I think a game with generic rosters would be fine; I personally never bought the game for the players. However, a game with generic teams would likely never cover the cost of doing business. There simply isn't much appealing about a game with ~130 no-name schools. Even with editors out the wazoo, I just couldn't see a game in that nature selling.

I agree and I believe a game with licensed schools and generic rosters would sell a lot of copies. Maybe when all the appeals are finished and everybody is clear as to where they stand legally there will be some movement.

# 23 BROman @ 09/02/16 03:02 PM

Generic may sell, but legends would sell better IMO. I don't know why EA wouldn't make use of their NFLPA license, put pro guys on their former college teams, and fill the rest w/ generics like 2k? 90 player rosters & a max of 20 legends on each team (make them all 5th year seniors for dynasty mode, some schools would have a lot less of course, like Sun Belt teams) would still allow for editing possibilities. and the guy(s) on the cover would actually be in the game too. They'd have ultimate team possibilities too, and you know how EA loves that mode.

# 24 MakaveliLPC @ 09/02/16 10:20 PM

Right. Couldn't they just make a game where out of the box, they have the schools' best players that have been drafted in the NFL on the teams. But keep it fully customizable so that the community can do their thing w the rosters

# 25 Hooe @ 09/02/16 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herky


	They don't have to make guys seem like the real player out of that box. That's what got them into trouble. Just randomize everyone. 2K8 College Hoops was like that.

College Hoops 2K8 absolutely did not have randomized players. It had approximate likenesses, just like every other modern college sports video game. I definitely played games with UVA PG #44 (Sean Singletary) and my Virginia Cavaliers against the CPU North Carolina Tar Heels led by PF #50 (Tyler Hansbrough).

# 26 Hooe @ 09/02/16 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BROman


	Generic may sell, but legends would sell better IMO. I don't know why EA wouldn't make use of their NFLPA license, put pro guys on their former college teams, and fill the rest w/ generics like 2k? 90 player rosters & a max of 20 legends on each team (make them all 5th year seniors for dynasty mode, some schools would have a lot less of course, like Sun Belt teams) would still allow for editing possibilities. and the guy(s) on the cover would actually be in the game too. They'd have ultimate team possibilities too, and you know how EA loves that mode.

The NFLPA license does not cover retired players. It only covers active players. Legends who appear in Ultimate Team and Draft Champions are licensed individually.

That doesn't necessarily prevent the idea of a "college legends" game - in fact, thinking about it now I'm kinda surprised EA hasn't released a standalone NCAA Football Ultimate Team game - but it makes it more complicated.

# 27 psukylen @ 09/03/16 07:43 AM

The following of this game is incredible. We are dedicated. I miss turning small schools into powerhouses. Madden franchise doesn't fulfill this void.

Still have college hoops 2k8. I would rock out with Hibbert and GTwn. That was a classic. My two favorite games. NCAA football #1 though.

# 28 fballturkey @ 09/03/16 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	The NFLPA license does not cover retired players. It only covers active players. Legends who appear in Ultimate Team and Draft Champions are licensed individually. That doesn't necessarily prevent the idea of a "college legends" game - in fact, thinking about it now I'm kinda surprised EA hasn't released a standalone NCAA Football Ultimate Team game - but it makes it more complicated.

I think it would go over a lot better than generic rosters though, if they could get the individual licenses for not too much money. You'd think you'd be able to go back through a programs last 10-20 years and find at least enough guys that played and maybe didn't make the NFL but fans of the school would know them to cheaply fill out the rosters beside the legends like Moss, Rice, etc that you might have to open the check book for a bit.

# 29 smoove7 @ 09/03/16 06:21 PM

Rex Dickson stated in a live stream on 9/2/16 when asked about NCAA returning, "It won't be anytime soon, it will be years".

As I sit here watching different college games and playing Madden today, I feel a void that Madden cannot fill. That void is NCAA 17.

# 30 dickey1331 @ 09/04/16 12:20 AM

It sucks NCAA isn't coming back anytime soon. Definitely my favorite sports franchise. I just wish I could play the last version on PS4 but I feel like too much time has gone by.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

# 31 tessl @ 09/04/16 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennN


	I agree with others here - I would be fine with a fully generic roster, as long as the schools were actual ones. I believe as long as the rosters were generic and random (and not capable of being edited), there would be little legal issue with player likeness liability. As others have said, there are generic players shortly into a college dynasty anyway. There would still be the need to license each school however.

I agree and it would sell a lot of copies. It would take the lawyers at EA meeting with the lawyers at the NCAA to reach an agreement.

# 32 videlsports @ 09/05/16 12:21 PM

Generic Rosters actuall schools with last name commentary. As long as we are allowed to edit. The company should not get into trouble. There is another company making a college football game though. IMV Gaming. But as far a EA series I hope it comes back as well

# 33 BROman @ 09/05/16 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	The NFLPA license does not cover retired players. It only covers active players. Legends who appear in Ultimate Team and Draft Champions are licensed individually.

Well aware, I was talking about active players.

# 34 The JareBear @ 09/05/16 06:08 PM

Honestly, I can't think of a more exciting prospect for me, gaming wise, than playing a new NCAA football game on current gen consoles. That would be as close to heaven as I could get here on Earth.

Please, please, please

(just speaking strictly from a gaming standpoint)

# 35 drugsbunny @ 09/06/16 01:49 PM

I feel that too much emphasis is placed on "authenticity" and not enough on fun factor. Truth be told, I only play college football for the fun of taking a small school and boosting stats of my players and being a cinderella story. I honestly don't have a favorite college team. I just love the sport. Why does a college game have to have authentic teams and such. I don't mind having fake college teams with a formulated college atmosphere. There are a host of small division 2 and/or 3 teams that would move units. School building would be great. You know, start with a small program and build it up. There was an attempt to have a college game featuring HBCU's (historically black colleges and Universities) that failed due to miserable gameplay. We don't have to be held prisoner by the big bad D-1 machine. Especially when washed up failures like Ed O'cannon feel the need to be relevent again by not getting chosen so they leave and take the ball with them.

# 36 ODogg @ 09/06/16 02:27 PM

EA just needs to completely randomize rosters, allow roster editing and roster share from peer to peer via save file (not via EA) and they'd be exempt from any legal repercussions and us gamers could have what we desire.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

# 37 The JareBear @ 09/06/16 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ODogg


	EA just needs to completely randomize rosters, allow roster editing and roster share from peer to peer via save file (not via EA) and they'd be exempt from any legal repercussions and us gamers could have what we desire. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Would they be able to have real team names? Like Alabama Crimson Tide, or would everything need to be random/generic/customizable

I ask because I am ignorant as to the full ramifications of the O'Bannon case and all that

# 38 ODogg @ 09/06/16 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The JareBear


	Would they be able to have real team names? Like Alabama Crimson Tide, or would everything need to be random/generic/customizable I ask because I am ignorant as to the full ramifications of the O'Bannon case and all that

If they can get the NCAA on board. If not I doubt they'd make a game at all. The days of having "South Bend" instead of "Notre Dame" have passed as consumers won't tolerate that I don't think, too used to the real schools.

As for not having the real players or names, I don't believe most folks in the general public ever knew or cared about it. Most people who I spoke to at video game stores on NCAA release days didn't even know you could get named rosters.

# 39 Junior Moe @ 09/08/16 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The JareBear


	Would they be able to have real team names? Like Alabama Crimson Tide, or would everything need to be random/generic/customizable I ask because I am ignorant as to the full ramifications of the O'Bannon case and all that

The schools and NCAA are still totally free to license with whomever they please. The hangup was/is the player avatars and how much they resemble real current athletes. Take that out the equation with generic rosters and problem solved. Just look at how NBA 2K has done it. There isn't a collegiate player on any of the licensed college teams (Kansas, Texas, etc.) in the game who could make a likeness claim. They took extra measures to ensure that the players were "generic", even numbered them numerically. College sports has always been about the schools, conferences and NCAA to me. Not necessarily the players. I honestly don't care about players getting paid or whatever. That's for the courts. Just give me a football game with my Georgia Bulldogs and let me play in the SEC against Florida. I'd even be fine with not being able to download or roster share roster files. Whatever is necessarily to keep the lawyers off the game producers, NCAA and schools.

# 40 tessl @ 09/08/16 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junior Moe


	The schools and NCAA are still totally free to license with whomever they please. The hangup was/is the player avatars and how much they resemble real current athletes. Take that out the equation with generic rosters and problem solved. Just look at how NBA 2K has done it. There isn't a collegiate player on any of the licensed college teams (Kansas, Texas, etc.) in the game who could make a likeness claim. They took extra measures to ensure that the players were "generic", even numbered them numerically. College sports has always been about the schools, conferences and NCAA to me. Not necessarily the players. I honestly don't care about players getting paid or whatever. That's for the courts. Just give me a football game with my Georgia Bulldogs and let me play in the SEC against Florida. I'd even be fine with not being able to download or roster share roster files. Whatever is necessarily to keep the lawyers off the game producers, NCAA and schools.

My free advice to EA would be to get their lawyers together with the NCAA lawyers and request clarification in advance of making a game from the courts on what would pass legal muster. That way no surprises.

Show the judge(s) in advance the algorithm used to generate player likenesses and names. Get clarification on the amount of editing allowed. Get everything cleared in advance to avoid a lawsuit. The courts need to more than just issue edicts to be followed. The courts need to be partners in moving things forward to achieve a solution.

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Peter Moore on NCAA Football, "We'll Be Back"