Several years ago, EA scrapped its college football video game because it couldn’t do it without potentially infringing on the names, images, and/or likenesses of players. Now that players can be compensated for such things, EA is back in the game -- and it’s offering players cash to allow their names, images, and likenesses to be incorporated.
But the offer reportedly works out to roughly $500 per player.
Via On3.com, the College Football Players Association is urging college players to refuse the EA offer.
“All current players should boycott this deal,” CFBPA vice president Justin Falcinell said. “It is an opt-in deal, and they should not opt into it. It is just a ridiculously low amount of money, given the context and the hype that surrounds this game. When we first heard the number, we’re like, ‘Alright, that sounds low. Let’s go figure out if it is low.’ And started talking to guys, talked to some of my friends, some guys who are still playing in the NFL. ‘So, what are NFL players getting paid for Madden?’ And the numbers we were given were from 2019, it was disclosed that they got, I think, about $17,000. And then a current NFL player told us that he got a check for $28,000 this year for Madden.”
Falcinelli’s advice is clear: “You should not participate in this. It is a simple cash grab to just try to get you for the lowest amount possible.”
EA has hired OneTeam Partners to line up the deals allowing real players to appear in the game. Per On3.com, the total pool is $5 million for all players.
Most players will want to be in the game, and EA apparently is banking on that -- by not devoting very much of its bank accounts to the effort.
Plenty of fans won’t like it, viewing the money given to the players as a windfall. Plenty of fans will be motivated in their complaints by the desire to play a realistic game.
But what’s $500? It’s no much, especially after taxes. And the reality is that EA will make a ton of money from a resurrected college football video series, especially with the various in-game devices aimed at separating more and more money from the users of the game, beyond the cost of the software.