Game over: NCAA won't renew licensing deal with Electronic Arts

[meStevo]

For me as someone who enjoys franchise modes, it's hard for any other sports games to match the fun of having talent constantly revolving off of your team. In an NFL game you can have the same core players damn near indefinitely (aside from injury, cap problems and presuming you don't play more than ~10 years).

The NCAA basketball games were fun and are sorely missed, I know people are dying for 2k to make an NCAA basketball game w/ all the success they've had with NBA2k, I suspect this lawsuit is a big reason why they haven't.

 

[king3pj]

I don't want to see college sports games go away either. Even though I haven't purchased one in a while I spent a long time with both EA's NCAA Football series and 2K's NCAA Basketball series. I was never in to Madden or NBA 2K but MLB The Show was another sports series I played a lot. I might not play them much anymore but I want these series to be around for those that like them because I get it.

 

[Scherrman]

I finally bit the bullet and ordered NCAA 14. I played the demo and loved the improved option system. I play the college football games more than anything else because I'm a huge fan and love building a dynasty. Sometimes I feel like listening to music, and playing football is the perfect thing to do when listening to some good music and having some drinks.

The other reason why I like playing it so much is because I can play a game in a bout an hour and feel satisfied. I can also pause when I need to. I love playing COD online but it can tie up more time and I can't pause in the middle of a match.

 

[Derwin0]

The end result of that lawsuit could mean we may never see another college aports game again from any company.

More likely we won't see one that depicts current players, and will have truly generic players.

Electronic Arts lost an appeal Wednesday in a case over its college football video game when a federal court dismissed arguments the company had made in hopes of justifying its use of an athlete's likeness without permission.

The appellate court affirmed a decision of a U.S. District Court that EA Sports could not use a First Amendment defense to protect it against the rights of publicity claims filed by former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller.
A panel of judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California voted 2-1 that EA was not protected by free speech because the company created the the likeness of Keller "in the very setting in which he has achieved renown."
"Given that NCAA football realistically portrays college football players in the context of college football games, the district court was correct in concluding that EA cannot prevail," Judge Jay S. Bybee wrote in the decision.
Keller argued that EA violated his rights of publicity by using his likeness, and the likeness of others, in its NCAA college football games without approval.
...
While EA's college games did not use the players' names, most of the players had the same jersey number, height, weight, skin tone, hair color and home state listed in their in-game bio.

Where the NCAA & EA got into trouble, is in the accurate representations of the players. The NCAA and schools are free to market their own likenesses, just not those of the players. That's why EA's Madden has deals with both the NFL & the Players Association. The NFL for the teams likenesses and logos, and the Players Association for the player's likenesses.

In an unrelated decision, the same three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit that ruled against EA rejected an appeal by former NFL star Jim Brown to reinstate in his lawsuit against the video game company, which had used his likeness in the Madden NFL game.
EA has a licensing agreement with NFL Players Association to use of the names and likenesses of current players

 

[fhsucade07]

I wouldn't mind a decent college baseball game coming out. Never could get into EA's limited attempts at that kind of game.


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[Scherrman]

I can't imagine a company making any money off of a college baseball game. There isn't enough of a market for it. I'm still waiting for another college basketball game.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I can't imagine a company making any money off of a college baseball game. There isn't enough of a market for it. I'm still waiting for another college basketball game.

I'm about 99% positive this was the last College B-Ball game I ever played..

 

[Scherrman]

I'm about 99% positive this was the last College B-Ball game I ever played..

Wow, that is ugly. The last one I remember playing was on the Xbox and we could play it on Xbox Live. It was the first game I ever played online. It was such a cool experience. Must have been around 2002 or 2003.

 

[king3pj]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/14/eas-college-football-games-lose-the-sec-branding

The Big 10, SEC and PAC12 won't be in the game. Individual schools can still license themselves to EA but if the conferences are saying no most of the individual schools probably will too.