JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The long-awaited and celebrated return of EA Sports College Football game could be tackled by NIL.
The defunct video game, which is set to make a triumphant return next year, is set to include real college players for the first time. Or at least that’s what has been hoped for in the name, image and likeness era. But it could be NIL which trips up expectations for the video game.
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According to a report from On3, the College Football Players Association is urging players to boycott the use of their likeness in the video game because of low compensation. On3 reported that players who opt in to being in the game would be paid $500 each for allowing their name, image and likeness to be used in the game.
EA Sports contracted OneTeam Partners to work real FBS players into the 2024 game last month. But the On3 report casts a bit of doubt on whether those actual players will agree to the reported amount.
The last college football game that was released by EA Sports, “NCAA Football 14,” came out in 2013. Copies of that game have sold for more than it was at launch. The game was ultimately discontinued as the battle over name, image and likeness compensation surged to the forefront during the Ed O’Bannon trial.
EA Sports used fictitious names on rosters in those games, but players could download user-created rosters that were identical to schools’ actual rosters. If players opt out of their likeness being in the game, EA Sports would use a generic version of that player.