When the newest version of EA Sports' College Football hits shelves and digital stores next summer, the virtual name, image and likeness of FBS players will be featured in the game, an EA Sports representative confirmed to ESPN's Michael Rothstein on Wednesday.
BREAKING: FBS football players will be able to be in EA Sports new college football game, Ive learned.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) May 17, 2023
EA Sports & OneTeam have partnered to handle NIL rights for any FBS player who is eligible to be in EA Sports College Football.
Details here https://t.co/FeUMftzMRB
Rothstein reported that EA Sports has struck a deal with OneTeam Partners to "facilitate collegiate athletes' names and likenesses" into the college football video game, allowing fans of the sport's 133 FBS schools to use their favorite players in various game modes.
EA Sports' partnership with OneTeam – a company that works with professional players' unions like the NFLPA, MLSPA and USWNT Players Association – has been mutually beneficial in the past, as the companies previously worked together for EA Sports' Madden football and FIFA franchises. Their agreement for EA Sports College Football includes the chance for all eligible FBS players to opt-in to have their likeness in the game, a deal from which players will receive compensation, according to Rothstein's source.
Finer details of the deal are still in progress, including how much compensation an athlete will receive and the structure of those payments. Still, Rothstein reported that both companies aim to create terms that are "as inclusive and equitable as possible" for players who wish to appear in the game. If a player does not want to be in the game, EA Sports will create a generic avatar and player in that athlete's place.
According to the EA representative, a face scan is the most likely route for participating players to have their likeness in the game. However, not every athlete will receive a face scan before the summer of 2024 because there are thousands of FBS players nationwide. The representative told Rothstein that over 120 FBS schools have committed to being in the game, along with all 10 FBS conferences and the College Football Playoff.
