After 11 years, the Electronic Arts (EA) college football video game series is back and the Bobcats will be in it.
Texas State announced via X on Thursday that its football team will be featured in the new NCAA Football video game. The Bobcats were in the latest editions of the game, NCAA College Football 13 and 14, before EA discontinued the series after multiple legal battles between athletes and the NCAA over player compensation.
The teaser trailer published on Feb. 16 revealed the game would be released this upcoming summer, and a full reveal of the game will take place in May.
This will be the 10th time Texas State will be featured in the series overall, having been in NCAA 06 through NCAA 11 as a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program. All 134 FBS programs will be featured in the game, as well including Division I newcomer Kennesaw State University.
The game will feature fan-favorite modes like Dynasty, where players can team up, and Road to Glory, where players tackle from an individual’s perspective. There will also be new features in the game like the transfer portal. Some have suggested that the new game will be built on the same engine that Madden NFL uses.
With the addition of name, image and likeness (NIL) rules in collegiate sports, players can now make money off their names, allowing the series to return after a ten-year absence. EA announced they are paying athletes who appear in the game $600 and a copy of the game, valued at $70. EA arrived at this number after comparing compensation to some of its other titles including Madden NFL, NHL and FIFA.
Athletes will have until April 30 to opt into the game through Learfield’s Compass NIL app as OneTeam Partners will handle the licensing for the game. EA will select 85 players per roster. Athletes who choose to opt out of the game will receive a generic avatar and will not be compensated.
While initially there were concerns that many players would hold out in attempts to gain higher compensation from EA, that no longer appears to be the case, as player participation so far has been tremendous. VP of Global Marketing for EA, Jon Reseburg, announced on Thursday per his X account that 5,000 players have already opted in.
There have already been a handful of players who have revealed their appearance in the game including University of Colorado defensive back and wide receiver Travis Hunter, Louisiana State University quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the University of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Players will also get the chance to make even more money as EA will offer over 100 NIL opportunities that include promoting the game through social media, on-campus promotion and advertisements.
