Following EA`s announcement in June about the return of its beloved college basketball franchise, fans naturally speculated about a release timeline. It has now been confirmed that the game is still a long way off, a revelation that comes as little surprise.
Sean O`Brien, an EA Sports executive, shared with USA Today that EA is `ready to tackle the challenge` of developing a new college basketball title. The company is presently `in the early stages of strategizing its development path.`
Although development is in its nascent phase, O`Brien expressed aspirations for the game to feature every D1 men`s and women`s basketball team, acknowledging the `formidable challenge` such an undertaking presents.
According to O`Brien, the successful revival of the college football series laid the groundwork for the basketball franchise`s return. He commented, `We believe we achieved something special with college football, and we aim to replicate that success with college basketball.`
Previously, Matt Brown from Extra Points suggested that a potential new EA college basketball game might launch alongside the 2028-2029 season, though this remains unconfirmed by official sources.
Beyond EA`s efforts, 2K Sports has also indicated plans to resurrect its college basketball series, which is also presumed to be in its initial development stages.
Reflecting on EA`s college football title, the project was initially teased in 2021 and eventually released in July 2024. It proved to be a massive commercial triumph, earning over $1 billion for EA and securing the position of the second best-selling game in the U.S. for that year.
EA`s last college basketball release was NCAA Basketball 10 in 2009. Similarly, 2K`s franchise has been dormant since College Hoops 2K8 in 2007.