Source: NC State expected to be included in new college football video game
NC State football fans are one step closer to leading the Wolfpack to a national championship on their respective video game consoles.
A source confirmed with TheWolfpacker.com Wednesday afternoon that NC State athletes are expected to receive an NIL opportunity with the upcoming EA Sports NCAA football video game, which is scheduled for a summer 2024 release.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported earlier today that EA Sports is still sorting out compensation details, but multiple reports have confirmed that the game will include the likenesses of real college football players, including those who opt in from the Wolfpack.
The video game company is working with OneTeam Partners, an athlete marketing company that also works with the NFL, MLS and WNBA Players Associations, to help figure out that process.
“Details of the agreements or execution plan appear to still be murky,” Nakos wrote Wednesday. “The agreement has not been finalized yet, but the source indicated the cash pool was in the $5 million neighborhood, which would pay out to $500 per player.”
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There are no details available yet regarding how a Wolfpack athlete will opt in or out of the video game.
ESPN also reported that 120 FBS schools have agreed to appear in the video game. The game will reportedly include all 10 conferences and the College Football Playoff. EA Sports first announced the game’s return in 2021, and athletes can now receive payments from company thanks to NIL legislation.
An NC State source also confirmed that the athletic department is in contact with EA Sports, sending over info about the program so the game can accurately represent the Wolfpack. This is an ongoing process because most of that info needs to go through licensing.
Matt Brown, the publisher of Extra Points, a website that has been on top of the recent college football video game news, has shared what info the video game company is looking for from schools over the past year.
This includes details on fight songs, uniforms, stadiums and more. According to Brown’s reporting, EA Sports has also been on college campuses, taking 3D scans of stadiums and capturing real crowd noise that will help create an authentic game day environment.
Similar to other sports simulation games, such as Madden or FIFA, the newest edition of EA Sports College Football will also incorporate some of the same broadcast commentators viewers hear in real life, including ESPN’s David Pollack and Rece Davis, per Brown.
NC State was a member of the EA Sports video game’s previous editions before the series stopped following the release of NCAA Football 14.
