Electronic Arts (EA) announced the return of its college basketball video game series, which had been dormant since the late 2000s due to poor sales. This time, the game is expected to feature women’s teams, marking the first major console release to include college women’s basketball.
The revival follows EA’s successful relaunch of its NCAA college football series last year. According to gaming news site Extra Points, the new basketball title is slated for release in 2028. EA teased the comeback in a social media post captioned “Bring the Madness” with a basketball ball, which garnered thousands of reposts and 33.1 million views as of writing.
Unlike past versions, which used generic player images due to legal restrictions, the new game will likely include real player names and likenesses. This shift follows the 2021 Supreme Court ruling that allowed college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
For its recent college football game, EA paid players $600 to appear in the game, with reports indicating that compensation will rise to $1,500 for the next installment.
The move also reflects a growing trend of women’s sports representation in gaming. EA previously added women’s soccer players to its “Ultimate Team” mode, while Take-Two’s NBA 2K series includes WNBA stars.
This marks EA’s third major sports game revival in recent years, alongside NCAA Football and the Skate series. EA has not confirmed the game’s official title yet. But based on the football release, it will probably be called EA Sports College Basketball.