Indie basketball management sim prepares to capture renewed interest in college sports games

After the successful release of EA Sports College Football 25 after several years of absence, which proved that there is still a strong demand for games based on up-and-coming athletes who are just starting to make their mark in their chosen sport, is there room for more?

Basketball is another area worth picking out, and while this college basketball sim doesn’t come from a major publisher, its indie developer might just find the right thing at the right time.

College Basketball Manager, as the title suggests, is a management sim rather than an action sports game. Similar in features to other popular management sims such as Out of the Park Baseball or even the much bigger budget Football Manager, the game will have you “taking the reins as head coach in College Basketball Manager. Recruit your dream team, whether it’s through All-Americans or hidden gems. Strategize, plan games, organize practices, and manage your staff, because you’re in control. The court is your canvas – build a powerful team.”

There’s no release date set in stone yet, but you can wishlist the game on Steam right now and a closed beta has just started after a successful alpha period.

The game comes from another one of those solo developers we love so much here at Readwrite Gaming and he said in a post on Reddit: “My main focus in the game is a deep and rewarding recruiting system, a great player development system once they arrive on campus, and plenty of ways to customize your strategy to put those players in the right situations to win games and win the postseason tournament. To me, that’s the heart of any college sports game.

“Growing up, I loved playing College Hoops 2k8 with my brother and friends. We would spend hours and hours playing season after season of Legacy Mode. My goal is to recreate that same feeling, where players can enjoy deep and rewarding simulation management gameplay with their friends, whether alone or online via Steam.

“I also took a lot of inspiration from Football Manager. I’d like to create a simulation with some of the same depth as the franchise.”

If you like very in-depth management simulations, this might be worth adding to your wishlist.

Key Features of College Basketball Manager:

• Execute game plans with a dynamic simulation engine, offering a range of offensive and defensive strategies.
• Recruit high school players to strengthen your team, crafting compelling arguments to sway recruits and outsmart your rivals in recruiting battles.
• Develop your players during and after the season to suit your playing style and gain a competitive advantage.
• Improve your coaching skills.
• Complete statistics tracking for each player and team.
• Dive into team and league history, past match results, awards, manager careers and records with just one click.

The article Indie Basketball Management Simulates Intention to Respond to Renewed Interest in College Sports Games appeared first on ReadWrite.