14 DAY TRIAL // A judge has ruled that a lawsuit in which a group of college athletes are suing Electronic Arts for using their images in a series of games without permission could go forward, after dismissing a motion that the publisher filled in order to take down the legal action. Electronic Arts is in the dock together with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and it cast a rather large shadow on the future of some EA Sports franchises.
David Tinson, who is the senior director of communication at EA Sports, confirmed to Game Informer that NCAA Basketball would not be arriving this year. He sais that “We do not have an NCAA Basketball game in development at this time, and we’re currently reviewing the future of our NCAA Basketball business. This was a difficult decision, but we remain a committed partner to the NCAA and its member institutions.”
The class action suit was initiated in May 2009 by Sam Keller, who was a quarterback for the Arizona State University and the University of Nebraska. He aims to get compensation for the games in which EA used his image and that of other college athletes without talking directly with them and by only dealing with the NCAA.
A statement from a lawyer representing the group says, “EA tried to hide under the First Amendment but the court recognized similarities between real athletes and the game were just too great to be ignored.”
With NCAA Basketball out of the picture for the time being and the suit ongoing, EA Sports might be forced to think about the future of the NCAA Football series, which also relies on college athletes. The series is normally outed during the summer months, as the hype machine gears up for the annual Madden NFL release, so it could be some time before an official announcement.