Hasta La Gadget!

A few months back, EA Sports announced that the 2014 installment of its wildly popular college football franchise wouldn’t carry the NCAA label after the governing body chose not to renew its licensing contract. Today, the gaming outfit has announced that there will not be a campus-packed release… at all. Admitting that the choice was “profoundly disappointing,” GM of American Football for EA Sports Cam Weber cited lawsuits with student-athletes over the use of their likeness without compensation as a cause for the decision. Of course, this is compounded by the NCAA and a number of conferences (Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 included) no longer supporting the game. “The ongoing legal issues combined with increased questions surrounding schools and conferences have left us in a difficult position – one that challenges our ability to deliver an authentic sports experience,” Weber wrote in a blog post. EA also pledged a commitment to NCAA Football 14 that’s already in consoles of the faithful where, no matter what, Johnny Football is still celebrating the same way.

Update: Moments after EA posted the above news, the company announced that it and the CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company) had settled “all claims” with Sam Keller and Ed O’Bannon for using their names and more. This leaves the NCAA as the remaining defendant in the lawsuit over use of player likenesses. For more on the filing, consult the coverage links that follows.

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Source: Electronic Arts

Following the resignation of CEO Job Riccitiello back in March, Electronic Arts has announced that the head of EA Sports, Andrew Wilson, has been named as the successor. Wilson also served as an executive producer of the FIFA franchise and EVP of Origin. Chairman of the Board and former CEO Larry Probst led the company during the search that ultimately ended up hiring from within. In a blog post, Wilson committed to delivering the outfit’s 2014 fiscal year goals with focus on “continued transformation for our digital future, delivering amazing games and services across platforms and instilling a culture of execution that will drive profitable growth.” The new chief has little time to settle in though, as the next-gen console launches are just two months away.

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Source: Electronic Arts

EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft’s event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, “living” sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too — FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We’ll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it’s safe to say that Microsoft won’t be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One’s vital first year.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Microsoft

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