EA Sports college football video game 'on track' for 2024 release

EA Sports was brought into the courtroom Tuesday when The Brandr Group filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California against the video gaming company, suing for tortious interference.

This will not slow down the release of the college football video game, though. Set to be the game’s first edition since 2013, EA told The Athletic on Thursday the complaint will not have an impact on the timeline or release date.

The lawsuit argues EA attempted to retain players’ rights while evading The Brandr Group’s group licensing contracts with more than 54 Division I institutions.

“The complaint will not impact our development timelines,” the video gaming company said. “The game is on track and is a priority for EA Sports.”

College football fans have been waiting for the day EA would return to the sport. There had been some anticipating the franchise would return this summer, but the brand announced in November that the game would return in the summer of 2024.

OneTeam, Brandr Group’s fight over group licensing

Last month, EA contracted OneTeam Partners to facilitate college athletes’ likeness. Details of the agreements are still murky, but a source indicated to On3 that the cash pool for athletes was in the $5 million neighborhood, which would pay out to $500 per player. Athletes will reportedly not make royalties off the game, either.

Some athletes have said the game’s biggest stars deserve more than $500. EA clarified on Thursday it has not offered a deal yet to athletes. The brand also said The Brandr Group’s lawsuit does not have “any merit.”

“There has been speculation around our plans, but it is just that – speculation. To be clear, we have not yet made any offers to any college athletes for this game,” the company said in its statement to The Athletic.

The Brandr Group’s decision to sue is not the first roadblock EA has faced. The College Football Players Association responded by calling for a boycott of the game. The Brandr Group called the payout “far below market value” in its lawsuit against EA.

Multiple sources across the group licensing industry have told On3 in recent days The Brandr Group’s decision to sue is just as much about OneTeam. A competitor in the college licensing realm, the two were previously doing business together. OneTeam made an investment for a minority stake in TBG in April 2021.

OneTeam had been positioned since EA made the decision in 2022 to return to college football to score the contract. Working with a number of professional players’ associations on group licensing and marketing, the firm has become a major player in the NIL era. OneTeam partnered with Fanatics last February to provide college football players the opportunity to be compensated for a multi-jersey customization program.

What will EA’s college football game look like?

According to ESPN, representatives from more than 120 FBS schools have committed to being in the game. All 10 FBS conferences, including the College Football Playoff, have also signed off.

Matt Brown of Extra Points has documented the thousands of image and audio assets schools have sent to EA ahead of the video game, such as pictures of mascots, cheerleaders, uniforms and historic school items. The company has spent time recently on-site on campuses taking 3D scans of stadiums.

Before July 2021, college athletes were prohibited from profiting from their name, image and likeness. The origin of NIL traces back to the late 2000s when former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and 19 others sued the NCAA, arguing the organization violated United States antitrust laws by not allowing athletes to make a share of the revenues generated from the use of their in broadcasts and video games.

EA shut down the college football video game production after the 2014 game due to losing in the O’Bannon lawsuit.