EA Sports accused of exploiting college football stars on low wages for new PS5 game

It’s been over ten years since the last NCAA football game, so there was understandable excitement when EA Sports announced it was actively developing EA Sports College Football for new-gen consoles like the PS5. However, the complexities of player equality continue to prove a sticking point, as the College Football Players Association is now in the process of boycotting the game in protest of low pay.

Apparently until recently, college players who were featured in EA Sports’ series were not paid, due to the rules surrounding athletes receiving compensation. But new laws overturned those rules, and athletes are now eligible to be paid to display their likenesses in the game. The publisher has reportedly put up $5 million to compensate players, but there is no promise of royalties for adding about 10,000 stars, which works out to about $500.

As a result, Justin Falcinelli, vice president of the College Football Players Association, believes the publisher is “exploiting” players. “All existing players should boycott this deal,” he said. “It’s just a ridiculously low amount.” According to Falcinelli, some professional NFL players receive up to $28,000 for a feature, but apparently a very much Fewer players in the league overall to compensate.

It’s a really tough situation for EA Sports, because obviously it needs to pay players properly, but a $5 million budget already seems pretty significant for a game that’s not particularly popular outside of North America. and is not likely to sell well. The publisher previously said “the road is now open” when it comes to adding player similarities, but warned: “It’s still under construction.”

We suspect that this story is about to run.