NCAA NOT Renewing Exclusive Licensing Contract With EA Sports

[Bobbybangin]

In a bit of VERY good news today, I have learned and am happy to share with you, that the NCAA has ended its exclusive licensing agreement with Electronic Arts.

The NCAA said in their statement:


“The NCAA has made the decision not to enter a new contract for the license of its name and logo for the EA Sports NCAA Football video game. The current contract expires in June 2014, but our timing is based on the need to provide EA notice for future planning. As a result, the NCAA Football 2014 video game will be the last to include the NCAA’s name and logo. We are confident in our legal position regarding the use of our trademarks in video games. But given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA.~

Source...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain...tract-with-ea/

 

[FAST6191]

Wow, one day I would love to pull off a scam at the level of the NCAA.

I will probably also have to consider what the NCAA means -- there is not much like it around here (you are professional as soon as you get the option to compete at a professional level) and most non professional or what would be the equivalent of NCAA level sports are a running joke.

 

[Rydian]

Snipped it down. Don't copy entire articles.

 

[Bobbybangin]

Snipped it down. Don't copy entire articles.

I copied two quotes and the one paragraph about the market that consisted of two sentences. It's also why I included the source.

But this...

EA has recently been sued by former college athletes for using their likeness and names and not being paid for it. In the United States, college athletes are not allowed to earn any money from endorsements, autographs, boosters, or any other source of income outside of an ordinary job. College athletes have even been suspended for accepting such gifts as free sports jerseys. But EA has refused to pay even former college athletes who are no longer relegated to those rules. All the while EA Sports has been able to make profits from these athletes hard work and training. Even more so when you consider the fact that EA had exclusive game licensing rights to NCAA sports titles.

This move by the NCAA should open the market up for more competitive and better priced games. We could also see sports titles on the Wii U by other publishers that EA formerly refused to make for the console.

And this...

The next best thing that could happen would be the NFL also dropping their exclusive licensing agreement with EA Sports and their 'Madden NFL' title. It's a long shot, but let's keep our fingers crossed.

I had wrote myself.

 

[Qtis]

Risky, but hopefully they get it working. While many may hate EA for different reasons (bad support, bad payouts as mentioned before, etc), they do have a good sports games division. Losing a certain name may not harm EA as much, but it could harm the NCAA video games related brand in the eyes of consumers (possibly, as these games rarely come to Europe so I have no experience whatsoever playing them ).

Any news on who will make the new NCAA games or will they throw their licenses at every developer?

 

[Bobbybangin]

Risky, but hopefully they get it working. While many may hate EA for different reasons (bad support, bad payouts as mentioned before, etc), they do have a good sports games division. Losing a certain name may not harm EA, but it could harm the NCAA video games related brand in the eyes of consumers.

Any news on who will make the new NCAA games or will they throw their licenses at every developer?

I'm hoping 2K Sports will be one of the developers to jump back in the fray. NFL 2k5 was one of the best Football games ever. The helmet cam was an amazing innovation at the time of it's inception. Also, 2K Games sold their titles for as low as $29.99 at launch if I recall correctly. Part of the problem of their success was that it led EA Sports to acquire the exclusive rights to those games. Midway made some games, but they are now defunct.

EA initially refused to work on the Dreamcast which is where the 2k Sports line debuted and is where the a lot of the initial falling out with EA and other companies began.

 

[Rydian]

Yeah I didn't compare everything, just 2-3 paragraphs, sorry on trimming what you did.

Use quote tags and stuff next time so people know what is and is not you're writing I guess?

 

[Gahars]

Wow, that's quite a risk. Still, if they can make this basket, that'll be the touchdown that brings them a grand slam in the net.

Uh, um, sports!