The return of a college basketball video game is far from certain, as EA Sports’ bid for exclusivity has run into resistance from 2K, which is striking its own licensing deals with top programs.
In June, the Collegiate Licensing Company recommended schools move forward with EA Sports’ proposal to bring back the series. Documents obtained by Extra Points’ Matt Brown, showed EA’s plan was ambitious, aiming to feature every Division I men’s and women’s program in a standalone title.
Take-Two Interactive, the publisher behind NBA 2K, also submitted a bid, but with a different approach. According to Extra Points, 2K’s proposal was for a non-exclusive license that would introduce a college basketball tournament mode as downloadable content within NBA 2K’s MyTeam. A full game could be considered later, depending on how the DLC performed.
At first, EA appeared to have the clear advantage, especially given the popularity of its College Football series. But the landscape has shifted. Sports Business Journal reported last week that 2K has been actively pursuing direct licensing agreements with individual schools, putting EA’s push for exclusivity in jeopardy. Sources told SBJ that if exclusivity can’t be secured, EA may abandon its plans altogether, which was also confirmed by Matt Brown.
Talks are still ongoing, but 2K has already started to make progress. UCLA recently announced a long-term partnership with the company, joining a group of programs said to be exploring similar deals. It’s not yet clear whether 2K intends to release a standalone game or keep the concept tied to NBA 2K as DLC, but either way, its vision appears more limited in scope than EA’s original pitch.
For now, the future of a new college basketball video game remains uncertain with both publishers pushing very different ideas of what the next installment could look like.
