Video game developer EA’s college basketball franchise to make long-awaited return

After a hiatus that lasted nearly two decades, EA Sports has announced the return of the college basketball video game franchise.

The game is set to be released in 2028, and it has been confirmed that both men’s and women’s teams will be included for the first time.

The series was discontinued following the 2009 release of “NCAA Basketball 10,” which was available to play on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The last game sold more than 150,000 copies across all platforms, which represented a concerning decline in sales from the previous year. The game was not nearly as successful as the college football game that came out that year, although developers discontinued both game franchises within a four-year period.

A primary reason they were discontinued was due to roadblocks regarding the name, image and likeness of the players. The older games used real players but did not include their names.

With the implementation of the NIL policy in 2021, players can now be compensated in the beloved college sports video games.

Hope Hassmann, an incoming junior guard for the Idaho Vandals, is excited for the release of the game due to the value it will bring to the college basketball landscape.

“All kids grow up playing video games, especially the sport they want to play,” Hassman said. “I think it’s just a great opportunity for everybody to get their name out there, especially smaller schools who can get their name on the map.”

Hassmann grew up playing the college basketball games with her older brother, but she said she has a special appreciation for the games now that she is an active college player. One of her favorite aspects of the games’ return is that players are paid to participate.

“Seeing how much time and dedication we put toward our sport, it’s so cool to see that it pays off and we’re now getting money and brand deals,” she said. “I think it’s incredible. I think it just shows the growth of college sports and especially women’s basketball. It’s cool that we get the ability to be paid. It’s such a cool opportunity to be a part of that in this new era of college sports.”

EA brought back the college football games in 2024, and in its first two weeks, earned them $500 million , with 2.2 million people opting to pay extra for the deluxe preorder bundle. Although the college basketball series will not officially make its return until 2028, it is likely the game will succeed more than the older versions Arthur Moreira, UI women’s basketball head coach believes it will introduce more people to the sport.

“I think there’s a lot of things like that that can come out of having a college basketball game,” said Moreira. “I think you can draw a lot of attention not only to women’s basketball, but to college basketball in general. I think it’s the right time to continue to develop the game.”

In recent years, women’s basketball’s popularity has rapidly increased. The women’s NCAA Tournament and the WNBA have both seen a steep rise in viewership .

“I feel like it’s great that people are now wanting to watch,” Hassman said. “To be in the era of women’s college basketball and seeing the growth of it, I just think it’s a really cool opportunity to grow the game. In the two years that I’ve been in college, I think there has been a dramatic change. All our hard work is paying off in a way that people are excited to watch and there’s so much talk around women’s basketball.”

Former Vandal and current New Mexico State forward Julius Mims predicts the new game will be “a big hit,” similar to the new college football games. Mims recalls playing NBA 2K games with friends growing up, specifically in the mid-2010s. He thinks the biggest challenge that game developers will face is dictating ratings for the players on each team due to the number of Division I players compared to the NBA.

Moreira spent a lot of time playing the college basketball franchise during his college years. When the new game was released each year, he and his friends would spend two to three days editing every roster and adding the players’ names.

The Vandal coach said he spent most of his playing time focusing on the recruiting aspect rather than playing the game, joking that he got his start in college recruiting on NCAA Basketball 10. Once he began his coaching career, his strengths remained the same, establishing himself as an elite recruiter.

Though he does not have much time for video games these days, Moreira looks forward to playing as the Vandals during the offseason.

Moreira emphasized the impact that video games have on today’s youth. He said the game will be a good gateway to college sports. He became a Newcastle United FC fan in 1997 because he liked using them in a soccer video game.

“The games give kids a chance to get familiar with it,” Moreira said. “Maybe they’ll find some school that has the color scheme that they like. All of that brings new fans in. Our youth is so invested into gaming and in the virtual world that I feel like sometimes it is the best way to get their attention.”

Moreira has friends in Brazil who became interested in college football after playing the new college football games. He said he thinks the basketball games will have a similar effect.

“It’s all part of growing the game,” Moreira said. “There’s a lot of sports that I actually started watching because the game was fun.”