Notre Dame football: Will Irish be in EA Sports NCAA Football video game?
By Sean Smith
The Notre Dame football program is one of the elites in all of college football, but will it be in the new EA Sports College Football video game?
The return of EA’s College Football video game is official, as one of the best sport video games that fans have been wanting back for almost a decade now is soon to make a comeback. With an expected release date of July 2023, as reported by Matt Brown of Extra Points, the hope is that the Notre Dame football program will join the action.
The NIL Rule change could allow college athletes to be in the new game, which would be an extraordinary change in the Sports and Gaming world. EA has released a statement recently:
"“We are watching the recent developments regarding student-athlete name, image, and likeness very closely. It’s still very early stages at this point, and we plan to explore the possibility of including players in EA SPORTS College Football. For now, our development team is focused on working with our partners at CLC to ensure the game authentically showcases the great sport of college football and the more than 100 institutions signed on to be featured in our game.”"
Will Notre Dame football be in the game?
Notre Dame has said they will not be in the game unless college athletes are included. The announcement has upset a lot of fans, however, this stance is best for the Student-Athletes not just at Notre Dame, but for the players across the country. Notre Dame opting out of the game eliminates one of the most successful and historic teams from the game.
Which is the last thing EA wants to do.
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick commented on the New EA Video Game saying,
"“As those rules are developed, it is our strong desire that student-athletes be allowed to benefit directly from allowing their name, image and performance history to be used in the game,”"
He said Notre Dame “welcomes the return of the game, pending these changes.” per the Athletic.
With the new NIL rule changes that could allow athletes in the game, the Notre Dame football program could change its tune in terms of being in the latest update of the game. Soon after we could be playing as Notre Dame throwing touchdowns with Tyler Buchner, or having a dominating defense, led by Prince Kollie.
The truth is, the college football franchise for EA Sports was one of the best they had, and all the changes in college sports in terms of the NIL could be a significant advantage for the company. Having Notre Dame football in the game will certainly help sales, but this game coming back out is going to be monstrous even if the Irish are not in it.
For fans of the Notre Dame football program, the hope is that they will be, though.