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Fallout 4 Director: "EA, Can You Make NCAA Football Again Please?"

"Now they don't make it anymore and there's a hole in my life."

48 Comments

Fallout 4 and Skyrim director Todd Howard, like Snoop Dogg, would like to see EA's NCAA Football series return. Speaking today at the 2016 DICE Summit, Howard said the NCAA Football series was one of his favorites, in part because he felt a sense of accomplishment when he won, and sorrow when he lost.

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"NCAA Football was one of my favorite games; they don't make it anymore," Howard said. "While I'm here, EA, can you make NCAA Football again, please? That game honestly was important to me. I would play and win the national championship, recruit my team--the pride I felt in doing it. I felt good during the day if I won and I felt bad if I lost. to the computer. Now they don't make it anymore and there's a hole in my life."

Howard gave his talk in front of a room of industry figures, and we wouldn't be surprised if someone from EA was in attendance. A day earlier, EA's chief creative officer Rich Hilleman, who worked on the first Madden games, moderated a panel at the show.

Howard went on to say he's a fan of lots of different types of video games, though it's typically role-playing games like Bethesda Game Studios is known for that he enjoys the most and connects deepest with.

The latest NCAA Football game was 2013's NCAA Football 14. A sequel was in development, but was canceled in September 2013 amid EA's lawsuit settlement with former collegiate players.

EA's contract with the NCAA for college football games was also terminated that year. Though EA later signed a deal with the Collegiate Licensing Company for more college football games, per the terms of the agreement, no future EA college football games can use the NCAA's name or associated marks.

In January of this year, the NCAA Football Facebook page came back to life with a mysterious video that some took as a suggestion that the series was being resurrected. However, this was not the case.

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Slyster1181

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EA? No. 2K? Yes.

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electronic_eye

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Edited By electronic_eye

To me, it's interesting he said that because I'm personally much more of a fan of college football than pro. And yea, I too would love to see a new NCCA game, even if it didn't have all the real players. Just give me my Oregon Ducks and other fav. teams, and I'm good.

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Ultratactics

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EA and all its bought out then gutted and closed down studios needs to not make anything and leave gaming. it has been the forefront leader of almost all bad business practices that we see in gaming today. Everyday they exist gaming is worse off. I cannot wait till they even go to far for these spoiled brain dead children and finally dies off like they needed to since making a monopoly on nfl football games.

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simonbowden

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Dont worry about NCAA just bring back Fight Night.

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Quidium

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Football is football. EA still retains the licenses for the NCAA teams. The players can have made up names, faces, bodies, height etc. Call it "College Football". And let gamers play a game they love.

After year one the game drastically changes and fans play their favorite teams and fight for the Heisman and National Championship. In 2014, players could change and create new divisions at their pleasure.

Gamers want their team, new updated game play, and the ability to play "college" level football.

The newest edition I think needs a dynamic play, blocking scheme, route, stunt, coverage, and scheme editor. Let the kids create their own high school and college plays.

If you make the game with vanilla players and names, current players cannot sue and/or make a deal with NCAA and the player stipends school provide. The stipends will include an EA "payment."

Cheers

Quidium

Coach and gamer

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deactivated-5ae060efb3bf6

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Can't make - it all the kids that play the game for free tuition will sue, before most of them head off to regular jobs. Guess it is not an honor to be put in a game as part of something bigger.

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lvsolja

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karma u nuttnbag.!!!! they beed to release the exclusive license they have with the nfl--because videogames have been crap without nfl2k..

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AzureBonds76

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"Tecmo, I really wish you guys would make another TecmoBowl game, since it was a staple of my childhood and would bring me back fond memories of my old friends...." Tecmo -- "Sure, only condition is you have to play against Ryu Hayabusa and if you lose he dismembers and beheads you in a fraction of a second"

faaaaaaaaaaq

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Thanatos2k

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Edited By Thanatos2k

As long as the NCAA is deeply corrupt and refuses to allow people to be paid what they are owed, no. Also, EA shouldn't have a monopoly on it either.

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Zzshock

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@Thanatos2k: who else would make it, lol?

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Bakula

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Ew, don't feed the beast, Howard. Make NCAA football, but F off EA. Long passed due for other developers to get football games, ones who actually care and will put in the development.

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OrgeLambart

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I loved me NCAA football, it was one of the few yearly sports games I'd make sure to buy. Such a shame EA got held hostage by some loser scrooge ex college players that weren't good enough to make it to the big time.. so they got together to sue EA...

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Thanatos2k

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Edited By Thanatos2k

@OrgeLambart: The only thing EA is held hostage by is the corrupt NCAA. EA even said they were willing to pay the players.

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OrgeLambart

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@Thanatos2k: in all honesty once players begin getting paid, they cease to be armatures. Also it introduces a way for boosters to scam players for their universities, which already happens anyway but in a far more difficult way..

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Thanatos2k

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@OrgeLambart: They're not amateurs now.

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Bickle2

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Edited By Bickle2

The college players will eventually win. The right not to be slave labor, then EA will be on the hook for tens of not hundreds of millions

He can play Madden, which NCAA is just a reskin of anyway. Football is football, and any person who buys it every year is an idiot. Any person who buys a game again to play as shittier players is an even bigger idiot.

Maybe if they hired someone smarter Fallout 4 wouldn't be so mediocre.

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Bickle2

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@crimsonllama: I wrote you a giant reply full of links and the system ate it upon posting.

In summary, College football is a $5 billion dollar a year industry, for which the athletes receive well under $25,000 in compensation per year for a "job training program" with less than a 2% placement average. Minimum wage in the NFL is well into six figures, and most people do not walk out with an education that benefits them, instead they take bullshit "football player" curriculum with things like "Swahili", and being kept on a vow of poverty so strict they get suspended for eating too much spaghetti because it's over the normal serving (despite the fact they're burning 4000 calories a day).

There's a lot more, I'm not retyping it. Start by watching a documentary called "Schooled". and numerous pieces in the Washington Post, New York TImes, Time, The Atlantic etc, and tell me it's not slavery.

The idea of amature sports was begun by rich people to keep the poor people from beating them and to avoid associating with the riff raff. Seriously. Now they just get CTE while they watch from the stands.

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OrgeLambart

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@bickle2: you're actually mistaken, NCAA was actually one of the few EA games that changed year after year, it was far from a reskin of Madden. NCAA was actually interesting and fun to play, where as Madden got tired after the first or second season of Franchise.

The whole losing and recruiting players was fun, how to replace your superstar players leaving for the NFL or graduating made the game new and fresh, even after 8 or 9 franchise years the game was still exciting and new. Miss me some NCAA football...

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stewart24

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@OrgeLambart: ya NCAA was really the test game. If there was a feature or something they thought might be to risky they tried it in NCAA first. A lot more gameplay innovation came from NCAA apposed to madden For those 2 series

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Bickle2

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@OrgeLambart: it's football. It's exactly the same game.

The 2% they changed from year to year, or the excel sheet adding and deleting names is meaningless. It's football. Will always be football, and only a fool purchases it

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Brewskimi

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@bickle2: You make this argument but probably buy the new call of duty every year!

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Bickle2

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@brewskimi: You'd lose that bet. But again, Call of Duty has a new story and levels. Football remains football. Unchanged. The same game year in, year out aside from mild cosmetics.

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Touchdown65

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Edited By Touchdown65

@bickle2: Yes the gameplay was the very similar but off the field NCAA was more interesting with Dynasty and other game modes like RTG

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OrgeLambart

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@bickle2: ok it's football.. much like Halo and COD are both FPS games.. just because they are the same type of game doesn't mean they are the same game.

From your comment I'll go ahead and say you've never played NCAA football or have some bias against EA. NCAA football and Madden were different experiences, and catered to different people. Sorry if you missed out by having a closed mind.

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Thanatos2k

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Edited By Thanatos2k

@OrgeLambart: Halo and COD are both basically the same game though. When they don't have regenerating health, we'll talk.

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Bickle2

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@OrgeLambart: Halo has a new story to experience, new level designs. Football is football. It never changes.

They are identical games. You're simply delusional, which is why they managed to sucker so much money from you.

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Wendopolis_Bruh

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I think he meant, " "While I'm here, 2k, can you make NCAA Football again, please?"

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ghost140

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Edited By ghost140

Howard said. "While I'm here, EA, can you make NCAA Football again, please?

I've heard some dumb things from you Howard and this quote ranks up there.

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ReaperFifth

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use that hole to give us TES VI sooner

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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The problem here is not EA being unable to make more games, but the fact only one dev is allowed to make them. A critical component of capitalism is competition.

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stewart24

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Edited By stewart24

@Barighm: all they did was get the NFL licence (which the NFL in 06 actually asked EA if they wanted it cause they only wanted one developer Making NFL games). The NCAA licence was available to everyone.

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Attitude2000

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@Barighm: There is no exclusive license on colleges. A game could come out tomorrow with every team in NCAA division I FBS with only college names and school colors and not one trademark would be infringed. The licensing comes in when you want to use athletic team names, conference names, bowls, stadiums and the like.

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OrgeLambart

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@Attitude2000: EA did in fact have a license with the NCAA. Although after the lawsuit from former players I think EA wants to stay as far away from college sports as possible..

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Ayato_Kamina_1

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I think it would be more prudent to ask EA to relinquish the license so 2k can make an NCAA game :p They're much better... and you don't get the same game every year.

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stewart24

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@Ayato_Kamina_1: EA never had the license to NCAA. It was open to everyone

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brn-dn

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@Ayato_Kamina_1: 2K needs to work on making the WWE games better first.

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OrgeLambart

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@Ayato_Kamina_1: lol have you played NBA 2k games, they are nearly identical with roster updates and some tweaks to myplayer..

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Kyelo

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Edited By Kyelo

I'd like EA to make another rugby union game, hasn't been a decent one since like 2005 or 2006.

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brn-dn

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Edited By brn-dn

I don't understand why people like this series so much. It's creepy profiting off the players since they don't make money.

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OrgeLambart

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@brn-dn: in all honesty they didn't make money off the players, but off the teams themselves, since the only content which was licensed was the teams name. For the fans they would have generic players with somewhat identical numbers are stats.

College sports aren't really about the players but the teams.. You don't follow a college team because of a player, you follow the team because of it's legacy. Sure the players can make you enjoy that team, but the players can only play for max 4 years so yeah... not worth investing in players in college..

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Thanatos2k

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@OrgeLambart: When "nameless quarterback of Florida" is Tebowing in the game, yeah, they're making money off the players.

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Attitude2000

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@brn-dn: My argument to that is give the kids money. They deserve some sort of compensation anyway other than "a college education." Some places they don't even get that. The NCAA rules are so unnecessarily strict; you can't even drive a kid someplace.

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NoahRoalson

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@brn-dn: How is that creepy? They may not be getting paychecks but they are getting a ride through college.

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Ayato_Kamina_1

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@NoahRoalson: It's disproportionate is what the problem is. You give a college player a $1-200k scholarship or whatever it is and then you make millions on their image, merchandise, ticket sales etc.

I suppose the flipside is that a lot of the athletes wouldn't even be close to getting in without this... but then that just means they can't really fairly bargain.

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OrgeLambart

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@Ayato_Kamina_1: the players are getting their scholarships, which often times can run upwards of 300,000 dollars. The main thing I think is players should be allowed to make money off their signatures and things like that, but unfortunately that could be abused by boosters.. That is the main reason why college kids aren't allowed to make money like that, it's because rich boosters would buy the best players and could disguise it as something else..

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Bickle2

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@Ayato_Kamina_1: the vast majority of the players aren't getting close to a $1-200k scholarship. Half that. At best.

All but about ten schools lose hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars on football, and they push through people who don't get an education. College sports should be banned, you are there to learn, not give yourself pemanent brain injury

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