The NCAA has announced today that it will not be renewing its contract with Electronic Arts, and that NCAA Football 14 will be the last entry in the franchise. The contract will officially expire in June 2014, however, there are no more games planned during the remainder of the partnership. A statement from the NCAA said “given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA.” EA can still make college football games without NCAA support, but they will have to talk to universities individually in order to gain permission to use their school logos.
The NCAA’s partnership with EA has been rocky over the last year. The litigation referenced in the NCAA’s statement comes from multiple suits from former players, who claimed the companies profited from use of their likenesses in-game without compensation. EA had also agreed to give up exclusive rights to using the NCAA’s name after a lawsuit claimed EA had a monopoly on football video games.
Source: GamesIndustry International
