Via Twitter, EA has announced that EA Play Live will take place on Thursday, July 22, 2021. This is a month later than EA Play's normal timeframe of mid-June.

It is expected that this event will showcase upcoming titles and perhaps some reveals. At this time, EA has not shared an itinerary or schedule of games to be presented.

What games should fans expect to see at EA Play Live? The following slide from Electronic Art's Q4 FY 2021 results provides a potential starting point. (Note the disclaimer of 'announced' fiscal year 22 titles.) Continue on to read more. ...

EA SPORTS has officially announced that EA SPORTS College Football is in development, marking the studio's return to college football gaming after the NCAA Football franchise's cancellation in 2013.

ESPN has some of the first information regarding the franchise's eventual return: "[EA Sports vice president and general manager Daryl] Holt said there is not a date on when the game will return or even a date when the return will be announced other than it won't be coming back for this year."

The company has been working with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) to attain rights to the FBS schools, traditions, uniforms, and playbooks. As of the article's publishing, over 100 schools are planned for inclusion in the game. Until name, image, and likeness (NIL) licensing is resolved by the NCAA, the game will go ahead without real player rosters. Holt added that the current focus for the title will be on the "FBS Division I schools and the road to the College Football Playoff and college football championship." ...

As part of Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA by Ed O'Bannon and Michael McCann, O'Bannon fires back at what he calls a ridiculous claim: that he is to blame for the end of college sports video games and namely the NCAA Football franchise.

"But the video game comment was the one that I got the most. To be honest, it kind of caught me off guard since it was so wrong and so ridiculous. Yes, it’s true that Electronic Arts stopped publishing college sports games after we led my lawsuit, but let’s think about the facts for a moment. ...

"If the NCAA had let EA pay us, all of you gamers out there would have your college sports games. So don’t blame me. Blame the NCAA for refusing to change its rules in the face of basic common sense, not to mention consumer demand."

It is worth nothing that under terms of the settlement, EA did not admit any wrongdoing. However, O'Bannon claims in this excerpt that EA "knew that it had used players’ images and likenesses without their permission."

Click here to read a larger excerpt of the book and how O'Bannon believes college sports video games could return to consoles. ...

On the July 12, 2017 edition of The Bottom Line with Mike'l Severe, former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller was asked about his lawsuit versus EA SPORTS and the NCAA which proved to the death knell - along with the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit - for the NCAA Football franchise in fall 2013.

When asked by Severe if he accomplished what he hoped to as part of the lawsuit, Keller responded "...I think we did. I enjoyed it and really got behind the principle of why." He went on to add that "My small part of it kind of brought some things to light and kicked things in motion, but it was a small part of a bigger, bigger battle. I think we shed some light on some things and definitely accomplished what we set out to do, but again it wasn't to be a world-changing thing."

The questions regarding the lawsuit were very topical given they came during the same week NCAA Football would have typically been released. However, one has to wonder what was truly accomplished given the debate over 'should players be paid; is a free education enough' (as Keller asks in the interview) have not been seriously answered or addressed by the NCAA, conferences, or member institutions. ...

EA Play 2017 will take place June 10-12 from Hollywood, California. At this event, fans will learn about upcoming titles such as Star Wars Battlefront II, the next Need for Speed title, Madden NFL 18, EA SPORTS FIFA 18, and NBA LIVE 18.

EA Play began in 2016 when the company, Electronic Arts, decided to hold their own event around the same timeframe as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). This change allowed them to standout from the gluttony of gaming news that emerged at once, while also giving them more freedom (or control, depending on your point of view) for presentations, media & public access, etc.

If you plan on being in the area, tickets will be available beginning April 20. EA plans to announce details on the ticketing process relatively soon. As an aside, E3 takes place just days later, June 13-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Continue on to read the first information on EA Play straight from EA SPORTS. ...

With the Nintendo Switch now publicly detailed and heading towards its March 3 release date, for those in the sports gaming community the focus has shifted towards game options, both short & long-term.

During the Nintendo Switch Presentation and subsequent release of console and game information, only two sports titles for the console were announced: EA SPORTS FIFA and NBA 2K18. Both are scheduled for a fall 2017 release with 2K18 detailed for a September release.

During the life-cycle of both the Nintendo Wii and Wii U, 3rd party titles were lacking, specifically in the sports realm. While EA SPORTS began making titles for the Wii, they were often considered lacking features, if not watered down ports of the console version(s).

While there is some speculation that EA SPORTS FIFA on the Switch will be built off of the PS3/360 versions of the title (speculation EA denies, by the way), NBA 2K18 will reportedly include many of the same features as the PS4/XB1 version: MyPLAYER, MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyLEAGUE, and MyGM. ...

This time of year is always hard for the die-hard NCAA Football fans. Typically the game would be releasing in the next few weeks and by now, impressions & videos would be coming out of the woodwork making the wait even harder. However, with the absence of NCAA, EA is using this window to talk about the upcoming Madden NFL 17 due out in a couple of months. As part of that, Madden's Creative Director, Rex Dickson was doing an interview at E3. As part of that, the question was asked about the return of NCAA Football.

Continue below to hear his answer. ...

The lengthy lawsuit versus Electronic Arts and the NCAA may finally be drawing towards a close as the July 2 deadline for student-athletes to file a claim has now passed. 16,200 of the potential 93,000 claimants actually did so.

Student-athletes who filed claims could earn anywhere from $74-$6,700. 'Participation awards' will see named plaintiffs (including O'Bannon, Keller, Hart) receiving a combined total of $200,000. Lawyers will be taking in no more than 33% of the total $60 million EA/NCAA settlement, which equates to approximately $19.8M.

The next hearing for this case is on July 16 and that is where Judge Wilken may grant approval of the settlement. She must also rule on fees and expenses being sought by the plaintiffs' lawyers, proposed additional payments to the named plaintiffs, and objections that have been raised by three potential claimants.

Still on the horizon is the Kessler vs. NCAA lawsuit and also worth watching is how the NCAA and/or conferences/schools establish policy on allowing player likeness to be utilized and compensated in the future. These are the remaining key items to seeing a possible return of the NCAA Football franchise.

UPDATE - On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken orally approved a combined $60 million settlement that ended claims against video game manufacturer Electronic Arts, Collegiate Licensing Company and the NCAA. More than 20,000 claims have been made and the deadline for players to seek money has been extended to July 31, according to Berman.

It's possible the dollar amount for players will increase. Carey said it's “very possible” that Wilken will reduce attorneys' fees from 33 percent of the settlement to 30 percent. If that happens, the pool of money would increase for athletes who make claims. Courtesy: CBS Sports ...

Just over six months following retail release, Madden NFL 15 is now available in The Vault for EA Access members. Also recently added to The Vault were NBA LIVE 15 (just over four months following release) and EA SPORTS UFC (six months following release).

While it is initially surprising to see such new titles available in The Vault, it makes sense for the Ultimate Team features in Madden NFL and NBA LIVE with both still adding new content. Some community speculation has centered around EA possibly testing the waters to see if those who are getting the game for free (so to speak) may invest in Ultimate Team and for UT to be a standalone product in the future. For LIVE, this may be an avenue to create more brand awareness and loyalty as the franchise works to become a player on the basketball stage. ...