Texas Tech football will be part of new EA Sports college football video game

For years, one of the ways college football fans quenched their thirst throughout the offseason was by immersing themselves in the EA Sports college football game. However, since 2013, no new versions of the game have been released. Of course, that's about to change this summer and we now have confirmation that Texas Tech will be part of the latest version of the game.

The official Texas Tech X account posted on Thursday that it has agreed to participate in the relaunch of one of the most successful and lucrative video game franchises of all time.

The exact release date for the relaunch of the game has yet to be announced but EA Sports has confirmed a summer 2024 release. What's more, a more in-depth preview of the game is expected in May.

What is making the rebirth of the franchise possible is the world of N.I.L. payments. Previously, players were not allowed to be compensated for being in the game which is why none of the players in older versions of the game were named even though they resembled real-life players and even had their attributes based on actual college football players.

The death of the game appeared to be a class action lawsuit filed against the NCAA by former college basketball player Ed O'Bannon on behalf of NCAA Division-I football and basketball players. The suit challenged the NCAA's ability to use the likenesses and names of former players for marketing purposes. This was one of the landmark cases that brought about the N.I.L. laws which have forever changed the NCAA landscape.

Now, players can choose to be in the game. If they do, it is being reported that they will receive $600 and a free copy of the game.

With approximately 11,000 players eligible to opt into the game, that could be a hefty price for EA Sports to pay but it will pale in comparison to what the company will make on sales of the game, which was for years a staple in college dorm rooms across the nation.

The fact that Texas Tech will participate in the game is not a surprise. In fact, EA Sports has confirmed that all 134 FBS teams have signed up to be included.

What will be interesting from a Texas Tech perspective will be to see how Jones AT&T Stadium is portrayed. Will it still be under construction? Will it be portrayed as the pre-construction version of the stadium? Or, will the new version of the stadium be used even though it won't have been completed before the release of the game?

Fans of the video game franchise are counting down the days until this legendary time kill returns to their lives. That anticipation is only going to grow as EA Sports continues to tease us with announcements such as they did on Thursday.