Electronic Arts is making a big change to their upcoming game, EA Sports College Football.
Now that the gaming and sports landscape has transformed in recent years, EA is adapting along with it. As part of its new transformation, EA wants to be fair to college football players as it has promised to pay them for their likeness in the game.
An EA Sports representative revealed to ESPN that players have the option to opt-in and have their names and likeness part of EA Sports College Football, which is reportedly due to hit the store shelves in 2024.
EA didn't reveal how much it will pay athletes for opting into the game but the representative claims the goal is to make a deal that's "as inclusive and equitable as possible" for all parties involved.
The change has obviously sparked joy and excitement among fans and players alike. For the players, it's a big win following the new law that was passed in California in 2019 that basically gave collegiate athletes the right to get paid without repercussion. The NCAA reversed its stance soon after.
EA previously paid out $60,000 or around $1,600 per player in 2016 after former UCLA star Ed O'Bannon sued the company for taking advantage of collegiate football stars without paying them.
At the time, EA had stopped releasing EA Sports College Football, which used to be part of the company's annual release pipeline.
EA's decision will likely pave the way for other developers to use college football athletes in their games and for the same athletes to get paid as well while studying and playing.
Electronic Arts is currently enjoying a fruitful month because of the success of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The sequel has set the record for the best sales last month in the United States in just three days and it's expected to continue selling well this month. EA is also scheduled to release its first post-FIFA partnership soccer sim, EA Sports FC, later this year.
