There are a few games that did not make the cut for backward compatibility for one reason or another when it comes to new console generations. Many fans have held on to their older generation video game consoles for the sake of playing titles that never made it to the next generation of hardware, and one of these games was evidently the end of a franchise that fans held in high regards. Many still play NCAA Football 14, but a new announcement may shake things up for players.
After today's announcement by EA Sports that NCAA College Football is returning, many fans rejoiced, but also realized that another College Football title releasing means they will no longer have to boot up their Xbox 360 to play the last installment in the franchise. NCAA College Football 14 was the last game in the franchise, and is still played by diehard fans on the 360.
NCAA College Football was considered a fan-favorite sports sim, but the franchise came to the end in 2013 when a lawsuit was filed against EA for using the likeness of college athletes. The suit was settled out of court with EA paying tens of million of dollars to college athletes, and subsequently, the last installment NCAA 14 would not be made backward compatible with the Xbox One. Ultimately, this means that the game was trapped on this generation of consoles for the past 8 years.
It is apparent from posts on Twitter that many fans still have their Xbox 360 to play NCAA 14, with a mountain of tweets saying goodbye to the device once the next NCAA College Football title was announced. Some fans have even admitted that the Xbox 360 is the last console they bought, and that they have been playing NCAA 14 on it for the last seven years. This may sound like hyperbole in some cases, but for less dedicated gamers and more hardcore football fans, it does add up. The franchise has always had a dedicate, cult-like following that other games just couldn't replicate.
While some may say Madden is a good alternative, many would argue that NCAA Football has no alternative thanks to its immersive game modes and the number of playable college teams. NCAA Football's Road to Glory mode featured deep customization and followed a player from their high school football days all the way to recruitment to the NFL, and it really added a ton of video game entertainment to the sports sim.
One of the reasons the announcement to make a new college football title is the "Fair Pay to Play" law that allows college athletes to make money of their likeness and sign endorsements. Since illegally using players' likeness is what ended the NCAA franchise, the new law may come into play when developing the new NCAA title, meaning fans may see names attached to players' likeness for the first time. On the other hand, it's possible that this is still somewhat of a factor and the game uses more generic players and team names instead of opting for any real relation to the NCAA. For now, it's hard to say.
Although EA has not announced any release window, it is expected that the next college football title will make its way onto the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, which will be a big jump in development capabilities from the Xbox 360 version of NCAA 14. For many college football gamers, the new title may be the sole reason to pick up a new console and finally said goodbye to the 360.
A new NCAA-related game is in development.