[TimLawNYC]

Quote: Originally Posted by R.Moncrief

On the contrary, I absolutely guarantee everyone here that there will be a NCAA Football video game in the future. Perhaps not developed/produced by the good folks over at EA Sports, but once the NCAA figures out a way to maximize their own profits, without appearing as hypocrites to the public for their player compensation policies, we will have ourselves a next gen college football game. You know why? Video games are popular. Television ratings are beginning to skyrocket for college football. TV ratings are going down for many NFL games across the board. At some point, the increasing popularity of college ball will lead to MANY changes with one being the resurrection of its video game series. Do not forget, there are regime changes set to occur in the not so distance future over in the N C double A. Likely, someone will recognize the lack of video game representation when they realize how much of a cash cow the Madden series really is for the NFL. It's absolutely silly to think this won't happen some day. Anyone who is sure of themselves in their opinion that college ball won't make it to next gen is simply not looking at the financials. Money talks. Everyday, all day.

Totally true in a vacuum, but the situation that got us to this point in the first place was the prospect of millions of dollars in ongoing liability for both the NCAA and companies making NCAA-licensed products (including video games) bearing player likenesses.

The fact is that, despite often being a better video game, NCAA Football never sold close to as well as Madden. I doubt it ever lost EA money but it certainly wasn't the annual cash cow that Madden is. Couple that limited financial upside with the very real risk of enormous legal liability and it's no mystery why EA pulled the plug. That same analysis should scare off anybody else wanting to make a game as well. For the time being, it doesn't make financial sense for any company to make a college football game.

The only way we see another game is if the litigation with the players gets resolved in a way that removes future liability from these products. If that happens, there will again be financial reasons to make these games, and somebody will step up and make them.