If you’ve been pining for a fix of American football outside of Madden NFL 23, then EA Sports College Football will probably entice you back onto the field of play. As production of the potential PS5 and Xbox title begins to gain traction, the FIFA 23 and EA Sports FC developer is giving players the opportunity to be compensated for their appearance in the forthcoming game.
The confirmation of a new likeness compensation agreement is detailed in a report from ESPN, in which an EA Sports representative confirms the studio’s plans going forward. According to the report, the representative shares that EA Sports will “facilitate collegiate athletes’ names and likenesses” as it works toward the EA Sports College Football release date.
An obstacle debated within the college football circuit and the wider community around the sport is that of fair compensation for corporate entities profiting off the likeness and images of players in a commercial setting.
With this agreement in place for all eligible NCAA FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) players, those who wish to be included in EA Sports College Football with receive payment for allowing themselves to be featured in the game. Details of how those payments will be broken down and the amount remain unspecified, but the representative adds EA Sports is emphasizing the goal to be “as inclusive and equitable as possible.”
Some deals require an individual basis to figure out the terms of a deal, as EA Sports’ collaborative partners OneTeam expresses that “revenue will be divided equally among the athletes included in each licensing program.” If players don’t wish to feature in EA Sports College Football, their spot will be filled by a generic digital avatar. Additionally, the EA representative confirms that over 120 FBS-eligible schools are eager to feature in the game, as EA Sports aims to include every FBS school.
However, it is expected that not every player will receive full body scans into the game due to the exuberant costs of scanning thousands of players across the United States. The debate of likeness rights made waves back in 2014, with the O’Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit that saw former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon challenge EA after his likeness was used without permission in NCAA Basketball 09.
Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary Nike sports marketing executive, was a key figure in this case – and you can learn more about him in the Ben Affleck-directed AIR. You’ll definitely want to buy a pair of Air Jordans after. In the meantime, if you’re looking for some of the best football games or upcoming PS5 games to dive into, you may want to give Madden NFL 23 a spin.