With NCAA Football 14, a game released more than five years ago, developing something like a cult following, the question of where did college football video games go rises once again. This time, it seems as if there’s finally an answer: Gridiron Champions.
Past History
The last game in college football history was NCAA Football 14, released in July of 2013. After a solid reception at launch, the game has developed one of the most loyal fanbases in sports video games. There are many gamers that still own a PS3 or Xbox360 console just to play NCAA 14. Youtuber “Not the Expert” has an NCAA series that amasses nearly 100K views per video. The longevity of the game is mainly due to the community. The rosters and stats are updated by a group of seven hard-core gamers. These guys edit every single aspect of the game, from player ratings to school records.
So, why did a game that was so loved by the public stopped getting made?
Legal Battles
I’m no lawyer, and I don’t assume any of you are. I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.
The problem started when former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller filed a lawsuit because his image and likeness was being used in order to turn a profit. As college athletes are considered amateurs (a topic worth taking a look at in a different article), they’re not permitted by NCAA rules to make money because of their celebrity status. So, while EA cashed in the big bucks because of NCAA Football, the heart and soul of the game, the athletes, gained nothing.
The matter reached the Ninth Circuit. EA lawyers claimed they were protected by the First Amendment, that allowed them to go on with the game
Again, my only law experience comes from watching Suits, I’m trying to be as clear as I can.
Ultimately, the appeals court decided against EA. The case was settled for $40 million, to be divided between nearly 200,000 athletes.
Since then, no video game publisher received a license to make any college sports video game, in any sport. College video games stopped. Until now.
Enter Gridiron Champions
This year, sports gamers finally received the news they’d been waiting for. College Football video games are back. Gridiron Champions, developed by iMackulate Vision Gaming, promises to be the saving grace fans have been longing for since the days of playing as Johnny Manziel throwing 50-yard bombs to Mike Evans.
First of all, you might be wondering: “How will a small publisher like IMV Gaming be able to develop a game that the mighty EA stopped doing?”
Well, fear not, average sports gamer. Gridiron Champions won’t feature any real NCAA team, stadium, jersey or player, essentially eliminating whatever issue they might face with any potential lawsuit. The catch with Gridiron Champions is that the community will be able to import any community created rosters, logos, and jerseys, and legally there is no problem with that.
So, basically, IMV will be making a college football video game with every team, each roster, plenty of customization, and next-gen graphics and gameplay. Gridiron Champions will also be the first big football game not called Madden in what seems forever.
Current Stage of Development
On their website, IMV states that they need $850,000 to fund the development and release of the game. The game offers many ways of contributing to the hefty goal, one being pre-ordering the game for $60. When you think about it, the developers need just 14,200 people to pre-order the game to reach their goal. The game is set to be released in 2020, but that date is subject to change.
The latest move by IMV Gaming was signing former Madden software developer Jeff Luhr, an experienced mind in the field of football games.
🚨Our company understands that we need to surround ourself with experienced software developers.
With that in mind, we are very excited to announce a new member of our team! @JeffLuhr has agreed to join the company’s advisory board! #BringBackGreatness #GridironChampions pic.twitter.com/NfyuzPGWdB
— IMV Gaming (@IMVGAMING) August 23, 2018
Moves like these should encourage gamers. IMV is going all-out to give us back the opportunity to create our own college legend, go for the National Championship with your alma mater, create your own college football team, or take BCS schools all the way to DI. The choice will be yours.
Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram for any further debate!
Twitter: @casiopersources