Per the NCAA:
The NCAA has made the decision not to enter a new contract for the license of its name and logo for the EA Sports NCAA Football video game. The current contract expires in June 2014, but our timing is based on the need to provide EA notice for future planning. As a result, the NCAA Football 2014 video game will be the last to include the NCAA’s name and logo. We are confident in our legal position regarding the use of our trademarks in video games. But given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA.
The NCAA has never licensed the use of current student-athlete names, images or likenesses to EA. The NCAA has no involvement in licenses between EA and former student-athletes. Member colleges and universities license their own trademarks and other intellectual property for the video game. They will have to independently decide whether to continue those business arrangements in the future.
Time will tell on what this means for EA SPORTS. Could this mean the end of college football video games? Or does this mean the birth of EA SPORTS College Football with the company needing to reach licenses with individual schools and no longer needing to have the game meet the standards of the NCAA?
UPDATE:
As the story continues to unfold, many are reporting that while the NCAA would no longer be involved with the EA SPORTS game, that does still leave the possibility of EA SPORTS contracting directly with the CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company) which does "represent nearly 200 of the nation’s top colleges, universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, the Heisman Trophy, and the NCAA." That would allow for EA to continue to release a game by just simply changing the title (maybe Bill Walsh Football 2015? College Football 2015?).
Brett McMurphy of ESPN has stated on twitter that a game will be released beyond this year, just without the affiliation of the NCAA.
EA Sports will still have college football video game beyond 2014, just won't be affiliated w/NCAA
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 17, 2013
We'll continue to share more information about the story as it continues to unfold.
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