The last NCAA Football video game came out in July 2013. EA Sports’ beloved college football franchise now lives on via internet forum communities that update rosters every year, so dedicated gamers can play with current players and coaching staffs.
Now, via EA’s other football franchise, the college game has an official sign of life.
Right before the NFL Draft, the company announced Madden 20 would feature a new mode called “Face of the Franchise: QB1.” The mode is just what it sounds like: a chance for you to control a quarterback from college until he reaches NFL superstardom.
The QB1 mode will be a fun part of Madden, but that’s not its only value. Among people familiar with the relevant discussions, there’s a belief that virtual college football appearing on its broadest scale in more than a half-decade could lay the groundwork for a more significant EA college offering in the future — specifically, the return of the NCAA Football franchise you’ve been missing for six years.
To get college football into Madden, EA had to reach several licensing agreements — exactly the thing it was losing when it canceled NCAA.
The quarterback you take control of in the new Madden mode will begin in the College Football Playoff. And the event will be called the College Football Playoff, because EA reached a deal to use the Playoff’s name, branding, and logo. The Playoff atmosphere should look authentic, as EA already has deals to feature the event’s NFL stadiums.
The Playoff has no affiliation with the NCAA office and wasn’t in the last NCAA game, which was released during the BCS era.
Your quarterback will play for one of 10 college teams: Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Florida, LSU, Oregon, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, or Texas Tech. The Red Raiders’ inclusion is not a coincidence, as Tech alum Patrick Mahomes is the Madden cover star. EA had to reach licensing deals with the schools — a process typically carried out through a clearinghouse that handles rights for many.
People familiar with the discussions view EA’s partnership with the schools as a potential first step in a broader relationship.
The scale of the Madden collaboration is broader than a brief Texas-Oregon appearance in one Madden 18 mode. Certain college teams appeared in NBA 2K17, but that deal didn’t involve the company that made NCAA Football.
The process is still in its early stages. Not every school is on board now, just as some individual schools were wary in 2013. Conference offices could take different views on their teams appearing in video games. It’s notable that no Big Ten schools signed on to show up in this Madden.
Nobody involved, including EA, is viewed as rushing into anything. Given the context surrounding NCAA’s cancelation after its last release in 2013, that the game-maker and some schools are working together so broadly is seen as a positive step.
The event that got NCAA Football spiked in the first place was a federal judge’s ruling in 2014’s Ed O’Bannon case.
The judge deemed it an antitrust violation that the game used the likenesses of college athletes who weren’t paid for their appearances.
The O’Bannon ruling has scared schools and the NCAA away from participating in the video game. For the game to come back, either it will have to be made without a hint of player likenesses, or the NCAA will have to change its rules to let players be paid for their appearances.
The NCAA has signaled mild interest in that in recent years, with Condoleeza Rice’s college basketball commission assessing it as a possible change in 2018. There are also a handful of legislative efforts underway which could force the NCAA to change its policy.
So, yes, there’s still a ton to figure out. But the introduction of college football to Madden is a necessary spark for any NCAA Football discussions.
Those I’ve spoken with see this move as a sign of increasing comfort by schools toward working with EA. And the new mode is viewed as an opportunity for EA to show the schools it can still be a good partner.
The game’s return is not imminent. But if you think Madden 20 is a sign another football video game could come back some day, you’re not pipe-dreaming.
