Following a successful return to the virtual gridiron, EA Sports is set to bring back its NCAA Basketball franchise in 2028.
After nearly two decades on the bench, Electronic Arts’ “NCAA Basketball” franchise is getting ready to check back in.
The sports video game tipped off Independence Day week by setting off early internet fireworks, teasing the return of its college basketball simulator with a promise to “run it back” on its social media channels.
A memo obtained by Matt Brown of Extra Points states that the game is in development, with a projected release date of 2028, and that EA Sports was one of three companies to submit formal bids to the College Licensing Company in an attempt to bring the franchise back. The CLC memo was reportedly seeking licensing for both men’s and women’s teams.
Bring the Madness. Let’s run it back. #CBB #ItsInTheGame pic.twitter.com/iBNhGxn2yj
— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) June 30, 2025
EA Sports’ college basketball endeavors began in 1998 with the release of “NCAA March Madness 98,” featuring former Wake Forest star and the previous year’s top NBA Draft pick, Tim Duncan, on the cover.
EA Sports announces the return of the NCAA Basketball video game🔥 pic.twitter.com/zFXarCCzgO
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) June 30, 2025
The game was released annually with Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and more joining Duncan in the cover honor, which would go to a recently-drafted student-athlete to avoid conflicting with the amateur compensation restrictions at the time. EA’s last entry in the series was “NCAA Basketball 10,’ headlined by Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, another top NBA pick.
Declining sales and a growing debate over using the likenesses of amateur student-athletes (who were referred to by their position and jersey number in all standard versions of the game) led to the discontinuation of the series after 2010 but interest in a resurrection peaked after EA successfully brought back its “EA Sports College Football” franchise back this summer. The college basketball revival is set to be EA’s first basketball simulator since “NBA Live 19” arrived in 2018.
With new “Name, Image, Likeness” innovations, the game featured the names and likenesses of active players for the first time, “College Football 25” became the best-selling sports game of all-time based on dollar sales and its sequel will be out on all major platforms later this month.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
