EA Sports announces it is rebooting its College Football game series

What you need to know

• EA Sports announced today that it would be bringing back its College Football game series.
• Currently, EA Sports plans to move forward without using the names, images, or likenesses of any real college athlete.
• The last college football game was in 2014, and has quickly become a cult favorite amongst fans.

In a surprise move earlier today, EA Sports announced that it would be rebooting its fan-favorite College Football game series. This marks the first college football video game since 2013, when EA Sports last released NCAA Football 14, a game that has since become a cult classic amongst sports games fans.

In an announcement made by ESPN shortly after the reveal, EA Sports Vice President and general manager Daryl Holt confirmed that "EA Sports College Football" would be the official return to the college football game world for the company. "As we look for the momentum that we're building on in sports, it all starts with the passion of our fans and the opportunities of what they are interested in," Holt said. "I don't think a visit where I go outside wearing a piece of EA Sports branded apparel, that someone doesn't go, 'Hey, when is college football coming back?'

In an effort to make the game happen, EA Sports has reportedly worked with collegiate licensing company CLC to make sure that they had FBS schools, traditions, uniforms, and other aspects ready. According to ESPN's report, over 100 teams will be included in the game.

Of course, the biggest hurdle in any game depicting college sports is in the likenesses and images of its players. Because the NCAA currently prohibits players from earning money based off of their likeness, EA Sports is planning on moving forward without rosters that include any actual real college players. While that may change in the future thanks to state legislature or Congressional decree, it looks as if EA Sports College Football will be featuring generic players for the time being.

No official timetable for the game has been unveiled, nor has any information on what platforms it will be available for been announced. Holt mentioned that the company is currently projecting for a released 2-3 years down the line, so don't expect any release information anytime soon. However, fans will likely just be happy to know that after nearly a decade away, college football is finally returning to the world of video games.