Creating a college basketball video game faces unique challenges, notably around licensing and the lack of player compensation. College athletes can’t be represented without complex NIL agreements, and the evolving roster landscape makes accurate, up-to-date rosters difficult to maintain. However, demand persists due to the sport’s unique appeal—college basketball’s intense rivalries, dynamic fan bases, and the drama of March Madness all create a compelling video game experience. Fans desire an immersive way to experience the traditions and intensity of NCAA basketball from home.

EA Sports College Football 25 launched in 2024. This is the first example of a college football game that has been released in over a decade and players have been asking for the developers to make a game where they could play as their favorite college football stars. EA has developed many different basketball games in the past and some people have taken the revamp of College Football to be one of the reasons that a basketball game could be in the works. If college football gets enough interest then surely basketball will as well. 

The Esports Scene

One definite consideration when launching any new game now is the potential for an esports scene around it. Console games have become spectator sports and this can lead to another form of revenue and popularity for games.

People who look at the number of markets at Thunderpick will see that these sorts of games can gain a lot of following in the gambling scene as well as being popular among console players. EA games have long been played among the esports titles out there and the series that covers the NBA (NBA2K) has a competitive esports scene. Players take on others from all over the country and even all over the world when they are playing these games.

EA should definitely know that the esports scene can be important for games. The company has been involved in gaming and taking real sports and turning them into digital versions that anyone can have a go at! The FIFA franchise in soccer was one of the biggest examples and this has now become called EAFC. The Pro World Championship tournament has $1 million in prize money to hand out to the top players and this shows that it is not a small industry.

A Remade NCAA March Madness Game?

March Madness is known to be the climax and pinnacle of the college season in basketball and NCAA March Madness was the title of an EA game for over a decade. The final title in this series sold just 150,000 copies. Compare this to the 1.5 million sold by NCAA Football 14 and it is easy to see why the college football title has been prioritized.

College Football 25 could potentially be an experiment and a way to test the ground and whether there’s a market for it. Console gaming is even bigger now than when the game franchise got canceled. 

NBA 2K has continued to grow into one of the biggest franchises ever in terms of sales. So it is perhaps unsurprising that people are talking about the possibility of a college basketball game covering more teams. 

One appeal for people could be the option to play as their local teams. College basketball has a lot more teams in it than the NBA and there are regularly huge attendances at the games. The fans may have a desire to play the game because of local stars and to see the stadium or the players of a local team on their consoles. 

Another argument for EA making a college basketball game again is the fact that there is already a game engine. There’s no reason why they couldn’t look to use the engine and similar features to the NBA franchise. There are differences between the games but that does not mean wholesale changes. The game is certainly the same in most principles.

Hurdles to Releasing an NCAA Basketball Video Game

An obstacle preventing the return of a college basketball game is in the difficulty of licensing. College sports are regulated by the NCAA, and unlike professional athletes, college athletes were not allowed to be compensated for their likenesses until recently. This resulted in major legal battles that ultimately led to the discontinuation of NCAA video games, including the basketball series. EA Sports produced both NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball and ceased production in 2013 due to lawsuits regarding player compensation.

The introduction of new name image and likeness (NIL) laws has allowed college athletes to profit from their personal brands. This shift opens the door for the potential return of college sports games including a college basketball title.  Perhaps unsurprisingly there is another obstacle in the fact that the sales were not good toward the end of the franchise. Some people think game executives are getting a lot less likely to take a chance on a new game when they can rehash the ones they know will be successful. 

There are hundreds of thousands of people who would like to play an NCAA college video game. EA Sports often also use Game Pass to make the games available to even more people and considering the fact that development would be less due to the existing NBA framework, maybe there will be a new college game before long.