EA Sports’ NCAA Basketball had a legendary run from 1998 to 2009. Released on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, the Verne Lundquist, Brad Nessler, and Gus Johnson-voiced series was a fan favorite.
However, players were unable to earn compensation at the time, so the series was discontinued, as it threatened the athletes’ amateur statuses. But now, a year removed from the resurrection of the EA Sports College Football series, could the basketball edition make a comeback?
Is a New College Basketball Video Game on the Horizon?
In December, Mike Straw of Insider-Gaming.com gave fans the first glimmer of hope that a college basketball video game could be in the works.
“Multiple sources have told me that both EA and Take Two (2K) have had continued internal conversations about a college basketball game,” Straw wrote on X. “Unknown how far along talks are, but there are groups within both companies pushing heavily for it.”
NCAA Basketball—formerly known as NCAA March Madness—was discontinued in 2010 after the use of college athletes’ likenesses threatened their amateur status.
Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, UCLA’s Kevin Love, and Texas’ Kevin Durant were the final three athletes featured on the game’s cover.
Talks of a new video game for basketball fans come after the release of EA Sports’ College Football 25, the first release in the series in 11 years since NCAA Football 14. The game received generally positive reviews and was the best-selling sports video game in US history based on dollar sales.
With college basketball—especially on the women’s side—more popular than ever and NIL deals a standard at the college level, there is no better time than the present for a college basketball video game.
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In a segment for ESPN, broadcaster Samuel Ravech and former Louisville forward and NCAA champion Luke Hancock discussed the possibility of such a game.
“Now it’s time for college basketball, I think, to get back into the fray of the sports video game world,” Ravech said.
Meanwhile, the latest edition of EA’s College Football series is set to release this summer.
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