Hurricanes tight-lipped about their involvement in video game

One of the most anticipated events in college football this year won’t happen on a campus stadium or on national television. It will be in living rooms and bedrooms all around the world.

EA Sports announced the eagerly anticipated return of its college football video game in 2021, and the company vice president and general manager said it will come out this summer.

But many of the exact details of the game are still hush-hush. As for the Hurricanes: They will be included in the game, a UM athletics spokesperson said. But all other details remain under wraps.

Some of the features that may be included have been uncovered by veteran sports journalist Matt Brown, who has documented assets some schools have sent to EA Sports to be included in the game through Freedom of Information Act requests. The assets include songs played by the school bands, crowd chants and jerseys.

A UM spokesperson declined to share what assets Miami may have sent EA Sports. The Freedom of Information Act does not cover UM because it is a private university.

EA Sports, which makes popular games like Madden NFL and EA FC (a soccer game), previously made a college football game and released it yearly from 1993 until 2013. However, the series went into hiatus due to issues with using players’ likenesses and major conferences pulling their licenses.

With players now permitted to receive compensation for their likenesses, EA Sports can now make the game with realistic players. Whether or not they will include every Division I player has yet to be announced. EA Sports has secured rights to every FBS conference and the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN.

EA Sports vice president Daryl Holt told ESPN in 2022 that “our intent is to work towards that and find a meaningful way to include (players) in the game.” However, publicly known details about the game remain scarce. EA Sports has not announced a release date or even an official title for the game.