During the recent earnings call for EA, CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about the College Basketball franchise, and how he believes that the company currently has the momentum it needs to work on a new entry in the series after its success with the College Football series since last year. Responding to a shareholder question, however, Wilson wouldn’t definitively confirm whether or not a new College Basketball game was in the works.
“We can’t say too much about it yet, but if I think about the opportunity, going back to where we are on College Football, college sport has one of the most vibrant fanbase in the world,” said Wilson (transcription via Insider Gaming). “And that trickles over to basketball certainly. We’re seeing momentum of fandom in college basketball also continue to grow. Fans, athletes, universities pour their passion into these sports. And it is that passion that makes it special, that makes the games different.”
Wilson spoke about the unique challenges in developing games based on college sports, since there is quite a bit of emphasis on not only accurately portraying the sport itself, but also things around it, including “the energy, pageantry, the traditions, and celebrating the unique sights and sounds and stories of every school and rivalry.” He went on to note his beliefs that EA has been doing quite well in these regards thanks to College Football.
“We feel like we deliver that incredibly well with College Football,” he said. “We’d love to do the same for basketball. All 350 programs, men’s and women’s teams, the iconic traditions and rivalries, and of course, March Madness.”
“So for us, college sports broadly is an exciting opportunity. We feel like we’ve done a really strong job, and remain committed to doing that in the context of college football. We believe that with what we’ve done with the teams, the technology, and our commitment around College Football, we’d have a great ability to do the same for college basketball, and as we look to try and activate against that opportunity, we’ll be able to share more.”
Wilson’s statements come following reports that 2K might also be looking to bring back college basketball through a revival of sorts of its College Hoops 2K franchise. While the company is yet to make any official announcements, reports have indicated that 2K has been in contact with sports programs across schools and universities for the revival.
In the meantime, EA recently released its latest college sport game – EA Sports College Football 26. The game, released earlier this month, is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and comes with a host of new mechanics, especially revolving around the various systems surrounding Coaches. There have also been plenty of changes made to the overall game, including dynamic times of day, epic runouts, and the addition of more mascots.
For more details about EA Sports College Football 26, check out our review. Also check out our feature about all the differences between EA Sports College Football 26 and 25. While you’re at it, also check out our guide on how you can make a lot of coins.
