Latest news with #MattLiberman
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ohio State, other teams to be compensated based on game usage in 'College Football 26'
Ohio State, other teams to be compensated based on game usage in 'College Football 26' Not only is the game of college football undergoing seismic changes, but so too, apparently, is the popular EA Sports college football franchise. The game came back from a major ten-year hiatus last year with the release of "College Football 25." You can thank Name, Image and Likeness, and the ability to compensate individual players for the inclusion in the game for the renaissance, and we all celebrated. Now, as things evolve, it appears as though schools will be paid differently for their participation in "College Football 26." Players were already compensated last season and will continue to be so with an elevated amount this season. But for this year, teams won't get a fee based on tier levels from the AP's Top 25 poll, but instead the pay will be tied to how often each of the 136 teams in the game is used, at least according to a report from Matt Liberman. The next iteration of the game is set to be released on July 10, and if those reports are true, Ohio State should benefit greatly. Though raw numbers aren't available, the Buckeyes have arguably the biggest and most followed fanbase in the sport, and there's no doubt that there's a lot of Scarlet and Gray on video game screens across the video game universe. 'For each CFB product released by EA SPORTS, we (CLC Learfield) will provide a percentage for each institution based on the games played for that institution as a percentage of the total games played across all institutions," a document obtained by Liberman stated. "This percentage of games played will become the final allocation percentage for each school that will be applied to the total gross royalties for all institutions received.' If you are like us, you can't wait to get your chance to play college football again on an Xbox Series X/S or a Playstation 5. Just remember to use Ohio State so the school maxes out its royalties for the game. I mean, every little bit helps, right? Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Texas to be paid based on how often users play with Longhorns on EA College Football 26
Texas to be paid based on how often users play with Longhorns on EA College Football 26 The University of Texas will be paid based on how many users play EA College Football 26 using the Longhorns. The "play-for-pay" model is a change on the way the video company pays for Name Image Likeness (NIL) rights to participating schools. According to Matt Liberman of beginning on the game's release on July 10, all 136 FBS schools that opted into the game will be compensated by their popularity with gamers. 'For each CFB product released by EA SPORTS, we (CLC Learfield) will provide a percentage for each institution based on the games played for that institution as a percentage of the total games played across all institutions. This percentage of games played will become the final allocation percentage for each school that will be applied to the total gross royalties for all institutions received.' - EA document obtained by cllct Previously, teams were divided into five tiers based on a decade of AP rankings. Tier 1 earned just shy of $100,000, while Tier 5 made less than $10,000. Texas was in Tier 2 and earned just short of $60,000. Players this season will receive a raise from the $600 all but Arch Manning earned last season. Players can earn up to $3,000 based on negotiations with EA and NIL partner Pathway Sports & Entertainment. College Football 26 will be released on July 10. Last year's version became the most widely played sports video game of all time with more than 1.7 billion streams of the game. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
5 petty ways fans can weaponize EA Sports usage payouts in College Football 26
5 petty ways fans can weaponize EA Sports usage payouts in College Football 26 After the success of last year's revival, EA Sports' College Football 26 is set to release on July 10. Details are slowly beginning to trickle out about the game, but on the business side, Cllect's Matt Liberman dropped something of a bombshell on Friday. In this year's release, schools will be compensated directly in the form of royalties depending on how often players use them in-game. While it's not exactly clear how EA Sports is quantifying that, it seems to be based on the total number of games played with each team. Directly tying payouts to gamers' usage puts at least a little bit of power in the hands of the player, and if there's one thing we know about hardcore college football fans, it's that their pettiness knows no bounds. This system seems primed to be weaponized by fans. Here are just a few possible ways they might be able to do it. Boycotting rivals If you're anything like me, the first thing you're going to do when you boot up the game for the first time is start into a "play now" match with your favorite team in one of its highly anticipated rivalry games in the upcoming season. Would the rival school receiving compensation for it complicate things, however? Fans don't often get the chance to hit their most hated teams where it hurts (financially speaking), but now they do — albeit at the margins. Will an Auburn fan think twice about recreating the Iron Bowl in College Football 26, knowing that Alabama would directly benefit from it? Perhaps not, but it's worth considering. Payback against the SEC For nearly two decades now, the SEC has widely been viewed as the most dominant conference in college football, and the perception of preferential treatment toward the league has certainly rubbed practically every other fan base the wrong way. Well, now you, dear reader, have the chance to stick it to not just the conference but Greg Sankey himself by refusing to play with any SEC teams. Enjoy it. Savor it. Will enough SEC haters coalesce to put a noticeable dent in the league's coffers? Unlikely. But moderately annoying Sankey is absolutely on the table. Only playing as Group of Five programs While we're at it, the Big Ten and Tony Petitti often skate by in these conversations, but the conference is right there with the SEC every step of the way these days. After all, both are pushing for a model where each league would receive four automatic bids to the College Football Playoff. Wouldn't you like to get some payback? Well, now you can by refusing to play as any teams from the two most powerful conferences. And why stop there? Why not just ignore the Power Four entirely? Group of Five teams are more fun to play as in dynasty mode, anyway, and if you've yet to play a night game in Laramie, Wyoming, in College Football 25, I highly recommend. Strategically simming dynasty matchups While players control the matchups in the play now and online modes, the same cannot be said for dynasty mode or Road to Glory, where conference schedules are generated automatically and are uneditable. There is a workaround, though: Just sim the games against the schools you are trying to punish financially. Sure, that may make those modes slightly less fun. But knowing you're robbing your most despised institutions of those precious cents in royalties is all the reward you'll need. Starting and immediately exiting games While it's admittedly not yet clear exactly which metrics EA will base its payouts on, it seems to focus more on games played than time spent with the team. It doesn't take a wild imagination to see how this system would be ripe for abuse. If you're trying to bolster your school's payout, you could very easily start a game and immediately exit before repeating until you get bored. Even if EA required a game to be completed, nothing is stopping you from starting up a CPU vs. CPU game and walking away. It's even conceivable that a more enterprising fan could rig up a bot to automatically play the games and take the human tedium out of the process entirely. That may seem far-fetched to you, but you should never underestimate how petty college football fans are willing to get. You've been warned, EA Sports.
