After years of waiting for a potential replacement for the NCAA Football franchise, the wait seems to have finally ended. A new mod for Madden 19 will allow players to experience college football on PC and play a new version of the franchise.
Why did NCAA Football go away?
Before I get into the details on the new NCAA Football game, here’s a quick reminder as to why EA discontinued the franchise. In 2009, former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon sued the NCAA for illegally using the likenesses of former college athletes in the NCAA Basketball game, along with other NCAA video games, DVD’s and photos. The NCAA did not compensate players for using their likenesses in the games, and although the NCAA argued that they did nothing wrong, they did end up losing the lawsuit in 2014.
Due to that loss, EA shelved the NCAA Football franchise with NCAA Football 14 being the last game. Despite the franchise still being popular, EA have not been able to pull the trigger in developing a new one. However, there has been hope that it could be revived. In an interview in 2016, EA executive Peter Moore was quoted in saying, “One day, I know we (NCAA Football) will be back.”
NCAA Football 19
Recently, gamers have developed a new mod for Madden 19 that will allow players to play as college teams. Check out this shot of the game showing “Lane Stadium”:
Now this is obviously Paul Brown Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Bengals, but this is still pretty impressive. The mod also includes logos and uniforms, such as this replica of the University of Tennessee’s home uniform.
The mod will not include every Division I college football team, as it will only have 32 teams. Some of the teams include Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Michigan.
When and where will it be available?
The mod is still a work in progress, so it is not currently available, nor is there an ETA for its completion. In addition, the mod will only be available on PC, so unfortunately players on the PS4 and Xbox One will miss out.
However, the fact that this mod is being developed should give gamers hope that a new college football game can become a reality, whether it is through EA or another developer.
Have any thoughts on the mod? Let us know in the comments section below.
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