Time to upgrade to 'NCAA Football 14'
I think it’s time I updated to the latest version of the NCAA Football video game franchise: NCAA Football 14, which was released earlier this month.
As I’ve mentioned before, I only buy every other edition. I do not think it is worth it to spend $50-60 every year for the same game, albeit with slightly different players and marginally improved features — likely the main reason why Electronic Arts was voted the worst company in the United States two years in a row. (The yearly release, I will say, is a welcome sign that football season is just around the corner.) NCAA Football 12 has served me well for two years and I think I am at a fitting place to end my current dynasty: after a two-year absence from the national championship game (I lost a game late in the season one year and was undefeated yet snubbed the next), my San Jose State Spartans will be playing Nebraska for the crystal ball.
But added to my personal tradition of buying every other edition is this bombshell of a caveat: 14 is the last installment of the NCAA Football series. According to ESPN:
The NCAA said Wednesday it won't allow Electronic Arts Inc. to use its logo and name in video games while it fights a lawsuit that says the governing body owes billions of dollars to former players for allowing their likenesses to be used for free.
The NCAA said it won't enter into a new contract with EA Sports beyond the current one that expires in June 2014. That means "NCAA Football 2014" will be the last edition of the popular game. However, EA Sports still plans to produce a college football video game depicting powerhouse schools such as Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon.
The NCAA is in hot water and rightly disassociated itself from the video game series. According to the article, though, the franchise will likely continue under a different name (likely College Football) since individual schools and the Collegiate Licensing Company may continue to work with EA. Regardless of the name, I think I will continue to buy it every other year.
