Video games like NCAA Football have had a place in homes for a long time. Technically targeted for younger audiences, they bring families together as an acceptable distraction from real world problems. And they are fun, too.

Games weren’t always the same as they are now. The first video game was created in 1958, made by William Higinbotham called “Tennis for Two.” It was displayed on a cathode ray tube which was the first electronic screen display. Some probably don’t even consider it a real video game. 

Sega and Nintendo significantly changed the game industry when Sega released the SG-1000 in 1983 and Nintendo dropped the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) three years later in 1986. Both of these are some of the first mainstream home consoles that essentially created the video game market. 

Eleven years ago, in 2013, the popular game franchise “Grand Theft Auto” released its 5th edition, earning over $800 million in sales within the first 24 hours of its release.

And speaking of video games released eleven years ago, this was also the last year that an NCAA Football game was released. July 9th, 2013, to be specific. That date was when Electronic Arts (EA) released the beloved game NCAA Football 14. It is a simulation football game with a variety of different game modes available. 

For three years, its cover was easily recognizable. Michigan running back, Denard Robinson, graced the cover, an important fact considering he is the last player to be on the cover of an NCAA Football game and he is no longer playing the game.

But even as video games continue to change and evolve, fans of NCAA Football continue to be loyal to the last game released. At the time, they had no idea that it would be the last establishment of the game for more than a decade.

Sports fans all over the world can agree that a lot of recent sports games haven’t been too enjoyable, and if you ask a sports fan about their favorite sports-related video game, a substantial amount would pick NCAA Football. 

The biggest and most obvious question about the game’s disappearance is why did EA stop making new versions of NCAA Football?

EA bought the licensing rights to the NCAA name in 1998 and that year created the game “NCAA Football 98.” They continued to develop and release NCAA sports games like Football and Basketball until 2013 when they ceased production due to multiple lawsuits against the Collegiate Licensing Company. More than twenty college athletes claimed that EA used their “likeness” without their permission. 

The company also did not pay every athlete that appeared in their games. EA and the NCAA eventually agreed to a settlement of $40 million.

However, back in February of 2021, EA announced via twitter that the game was to make a return in the summer of 2024. EA reached an agreement with over 50 Division 1 colleges to have their likeness in the game. EA has also partnered with “OneTeam Partners,” a commercial company that agreed to pay players $500 each for their name, image and likeness (NIL).

This announcement had fans losing their mind and rumors spread that during the 2024 Michigan vs Washington National Championship game that EA was going to announce the release date. That dream was short lived as the company not only never did but also never officially claimed that they were going to release it. 

Weeks later more created rumors targeted a drop on July 12th of this year, but again those were just misinformation.

So fans are still playing a waiting game. NCAA Football is still expected to be released sometime during the summer of 2024 but the rumors and frustration conveyed by the fans show that this is one of the most highly anticipated games ever. 

The demand is there so hopefully Electronic Arts pulls through.