It was recently reported by Sporting News that 2K Sports, proprietors of the popular NBA 2K series of video games, has reached out to at least 11 universities in an effort to license them for inclusion in a future release.
Does this mean that, despite losing a $46 million verdict in the O’Bannon lawsuit, college sports will once again become playable from the comfort of your couch? Well, sort of.
The 11 teams — Villanova, Louisville, Georgetown, Texas, UCLA, Michigan, UConn, Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas, and Wisconsin — are expected to be featured in the forthcoming NBA 2K16 release. It is likely that prior to the game’s launch there will be additional teams added, including Davidson University. One notable exception from the list is Kentucky, but likely because unlike the teams currently signed, their brand is not managed through the Collegiate Licensing Company.
Although unconfirmed, it’s been speculated that these teams will be available in some way through NBA 2K’s MyCareer mode. In this feature, players are allowed to create an athlete, choosing his physical attributes, as well as some of his background characteristics. In the past, players started off having freshly left college, and get the opportunity to play in the “Rookie Showcase” game to influence their draft stock.
With the licensing of actual university names, it’s expected that players will now get to choose their avatar’s alma mater. To what degree this will come into play is yet to be seen, but it’s been speculated that actual gameplay might be involved.
Back On The Digital Floor
Despite the O’Bannon ruling, there may be a way for gameplay to return to digital college sports. In a dream scenario for many sports fans, gamers would be allowed to guide their digital player through a few rounds of the NCAA Tournament, influencing their draft stock over the course of multiple games. And because the draft in question would be the most recent one held in New York, you might even have the opportunity to play alongside and against real life draftees.
Players like Arizona’s Stanley Johnson and Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky could possibly appear in their old college uniforms on the court, and it would be completely legal. Other players on their teams who are still in school, or not otherwise covered by the NBA players association, would be rendered randomly so as to not infringe on any likeness issues.
Despite the ever increasing demand for authenticity from video game fans, randomly generated teammates would be much less of an issue in this scenario as opposed to games where players compete an entire season with the primary goal of winning a collegiate national title.
As exciting as it might seem, 2K Sports is not bringing back college sports video games. As a matter of fact, it is unlikely that we’ll ever see a full fledged video game dedicated solely to college athletics again, but NBA 2K16 might become a blueprint for future collegiate licensing. How university logos and names will be used in the upcoming version of the game is yet to be seen, but it’s sure to reopen the discussion, and maybe this time we will see a conclusion that is equitable for everyone involved.
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