EA Sports has officially announced it will revive its college basketball video game series, marking a return after more than 15 years. The long-awaited comeback is set for 2028 or 2029, according to Matt Brown, founder and publisher of the newsletter Extra Points.
EA Sports Brings Back College Basketball
In his Extra Points report, Brown revealed that EA Sports and 2K both stopped producing college basketball games before 2013, citing weak sales and complicated licensing issues. However, these challenges are now being addressed.
'EA Sports College Football 25 proved to be a smashing success, obliterating previous revenue projections,' Brown explained.
He added: 'That was the sort of event I believed would be required before major developers would re-engage with the idea of producing an AAA-calibre college basketball video game.'
CLC Memo Hints at EA's Winning Bid
Brown reported that the College Licensing Company (CLC) sent a memo to college conference offices on 26 June 2025. In the letter, the CLC issued a request for proposals to develop a new college basketball video game. Five companies expressed interest, and three filed formal bids.
'The CLC memo recommends that the conferences accept the proposal made by EA Sports to bring back EA Sports College Basketball. This proposal states a plan for EA Sports to release the first game in 2028,' Brown stated.
Brown also shared his report on X, and within hours, EA Sports confirmed the news with a cryptic yet clear post:
'Bring the Madness. Let's run it back. #CBB #ItsInTheGame,' EA Sports wrote.
Fans React With Excitement and Criticism
EA Sports initially stopped producing college basketball video games due to legal and financial issues surrounding the use of player likenesses. A former UCLA basketball player even sued the company for using his image without consent.
Thanks to changes around Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, EA Sports is now ready to return. Fans flooded social media with excitement.
One X user wrote: 'I have been praying for the return of CBB and CFB for years!'
Another commented: 'I speak for everyone when I say WE WILL all be BUYING CBB over NBA 2K.'
'Playing with Tennessee and Nate Ament about to be a complete cheat code,' added another fan.
However, not everyone is happy. Some critics argued that many had already forgotten 'how bad EA basketball games are,' suggesting that 2K should handle the new series instead.
