As of now, the excitement surrounding the revival of EA’s College Basketball series is reaching a fever pitch. But when can gamers reasonably expect to actually get their hands on the final product?
In the days since EA’s announcement that it would be reviving College Basketball, many things have come to light in subsequent reports. For one, we know that most — if not all — Division I teams on both the men’s and women’s sides of the game will be featured, though the game’s list of teams isn’t expected to be finalized for another few weeks. We’ve also discussed what kind of effect the game’s eventual release will have on the NBA 2K series, the undisputed leader of basketball video games right now, as well as how 2K could potentially incorporate college basketball into its own games.
But this is neither here nor there. The question remains: When will College Basketball be released?
College Basketball Is Scheduled For A 2028 Release
I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw the announcement, I thought for sure that EA was priming gamers for a release in the late fall, right around the start of the real-life college basketball season. However, since the company’s blockbuster announcement, it’s been revealed that College Basketball‘s release isn’t exactly around the corner. In fact, it’s still quite a few years away.
According to the New York Times, the first iteration of College Basketball isn’t due for release until 2028. This is obviously a bummer for anyone who was thought that the announcement itself might’ve been because the game was near completion. But if reports are to be believed, EA is still in the early stages of development.
Not only that, but we now have information to suggest that College Basketball won’t be a yearly release. According to the New York Times’ report, EA — which has an exclusive deal when it comes to “action simulation” college basketball titles — is only obligated to release three games within the 6-year window of its agreement. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that the series won’t be on a yearly release cycle, it does mean that EA is under no contractual obligation to do so.
Obviously, a specific release date is a way’s away. But, if other sports game releases are of any indication, one could reasonably expect College Basketball to drop at some point around September or October in 2028.
Either way, we’ve all got some waiting to do.
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