College sports games are back, and this time, it doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere. Right after College Football 26 was released, EA Sports posted a not-so-subtle teaser that a new college basketball game had been greenlit. The successful launch of College Football 26 has proven there’s major interest in this sub-genre within sports games, and EA Sports is clearly looking to double down on that market.
While the teaser image is all of the official information we have as of now, leaks and other details have emerged that give us a clearer picture of what to expect with the new game. Below, you can see everything we currently know about the new College Basketball game from EA Sports.
When will the new College Basketball game be released?
At this moment, EA Sports hasn’t made an official comment or announcement about the potential release window for the new College Basketball. As such, we’re not even sure what year will be attached to the game’s title.
However, according to a report from Matt Brown at Extra Points, the current timeline for EA Sports is to release the game sometime in 2028. This timeline matches up with what we saw when the return of the College Football series was originally announced. It took a few years for College Football 25 to be released following that initial announcement.
Of course, with nothing official yet, we can’t take the 2028 release window as fact. Delays could easily occur and push the release date back a year or two. The title of the new game could very well be College Basketball 30, but it seems EA Sports is targeting a College Basketball 29 title, if the company sticks with the same title trend as we see across the sports game genre.
Who is developing College Basketball?
As we previously mentioned, EA Sports is the lead developer and publisher behind this new college basketball game. However, it might not be the only game in town, as 2K Sports released a teaser statement alongside EA’s to mention that it is also doing something in the space. A subsequent report said 2K is indeed making its own standalone college basketball game, and it would be the first since 2K released College Hoops 2K8 in 2007.
What’s going to be included in the new College Basketball?
As we previously mentioned, EA’s proposal for the new college basketball game included a plan to feature every NCAA men’s and women’s basketball team. This means you should be able to play as any of the Division 1 teams in the college system. However, according to Matt Brown, teams still have to accept the request to be included in the new game, so it’s possible that some teams opt out.
Aside from that, it’s likely that the new college basketball game will include much of what we see in College Football 25 and 26. This includes a Road to Glory mode, Dynasty mode, and Ultimate Team. Given EA seemingly has three years to develop the game, we can likely assume the new college basketball will be very similar to College Football in terms of features, graphics, platforms, etc.
When was the last College Basketball game?
The announcement of a new college basketball game came as a slight surprise to the community given how long it’s been since the last installment. EA Sports last developed a game in the series in 2009 with the release of NCAA Basketball 10. 2K Sports also had a college basketball series that ended in 2007 with College Hoops 2K8.
Both franchises ended years ago for a variety of reasons, including legal complications with the NCAA. EA’s new College Football series does not use the NCAA name, and it’s expected the NCAA would similarly not be involved with the new college basketball games coming from EA and 2K.
With the success of College Football 25 and now College Football 26, the market for college sports games has returned. EA Sports and potentially 2K will look to capitalize on the revitalization of the market, but it will take a few years before we see anything concrete.
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