[Update: An EA representative confirmed settlement with GameSpot: “We made a business decision to settle this lawsuit and put the matter behind us. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with the NFL and NCAA.”]
Attorneys representing consumers in a antitrust lawsuit filed back in 2008 over Electronic Arts’ lock on multiple football league licenses now say that the publisher has agreed to a settlement that would have them going at least five years without an exclusive hold on the NCAA Football license. On top of this, GameSpot reports that EA could also pay out a potential $27 million to affected customers.
The settlement says that EA will let the currently standing NCAA agreement lapse in 2014 and will not renew it for at least five years. They’re also locked out of an exclusive deal with the Arena Football League for five years. This was all proposed last week in a filing, and has yet to see final approval. EA should be wrapping this up soon, though.
If it does go down, gamers that purchased an EA football game for the GameCube, PS2 or Xbox could be entitled to up to $6.79 a game; those that purchased a current-gen game could get up to $1.95 a game. That’s a lottery ticket and a dollar menu item!
