EA Sports is Bringing Back a College Basketball Video Game

The college sports world spent a decade clamoring for the return of EA Sports College Football. NIL opened the floodgates for the series to return ahead of the 2024 season. Now, EA Sports is returning to the hardwood with a College Basketball video game.

It has been 16 years since EA Sports released NCAA Basketball ’10. While details are sparse, you won’t have to wait long to play basketball with your University of Kentucky Wildcats. According to Matt Brown of Extra Points, EA Sports is proposing to launch its next college basketball video game in 2028.

Bring the Madness. Let’s run it back. #CBB #ItsInTheGame pic.twitter.com/iBNhGxn2yj

— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) June 30, 2025

EA Sports first entered the college basketball market back in the late 90s with the release of March Madness ’98, with Tim Duncan on the cover. The series was available on Playstation and Xbox, before entering the next generation with PS2 and Xbox 360. The final three installments were available on PS3.

A Kentucky Wildcat never made the cover of an EA Sports College Basketball video game. However, Jeff Sheppard was the poster child for Fox Sports College Hoops ’99.

The NCAA Basketball franchise was not as popular as the college football title, in part because of the release dates. For some strange reason, the game typically did not hit shelves until after the college basketball season started. Why wait? It made no sense at all. Part of the reason fans love these video games is that they want to see their team virtually before they hit the field.

EA Sports NCAA Basketball ’09 is actually what ended up taking away these beloved video games. Former UCLA star Ed O’Bannon was featured in one of the all-time teams. EA Sports used his likeness without his permission. It sparked the O’Bannon vs. NCAA lawsuit, which ultimately determined that the NCAA could not profit from a player’s likeness without proper financial compensation.

The return of the EA Sports College Basketball franchise will give Big Blue Nation a chance to play with the Wildcats. It’s unfortunate that we missed this chance during the peak of the John Calipari era, when the star-studded rosters would have made playing with Kentucky a cheat code. Surely, there will be a game mode that will allow you to unlock the capability to play with some of those teams.

In the near future, you will be able to see Mark Pope on the sideline, coaching up the Cats in a College Basketball Video Game. What a time to be alive.

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