‘College Football 25’ release ends 11-year drought
- It is the first college football video game since 2014
- Players were given $600 and the game for their participation
- It is only available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
(NewsNation) — The words college football fans have been dying to hear are finally here. After a decade-long absence, “EA Sports College Football 25” is in the game.
EA Sports’ most-anticipated multiplayer sports video game officially releases today, making it the first college football game since 2014.
Anticipation causes crash
A lucky number had a first glimpse at the gamer before its official launch. Despite a widespread appetite for the game, it is only available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
“College Football 25” presold more than 700,000 copies of the game, with players crashing EA servers shortly after the game went live for early access.
Behind the curtain
The brains behind the game design said their focus was on authenticity, true college football gameplay, and immersive fan-favorite experiences.
They wanted to authentically represent all 134 FBS schools and the details that make each one unique.
Chants such as “We are Penn State,” Auburn’s “War Eagle! Hey,” alongside many other traditions are in the game. This includes Clemson’s runout from “The Hill,” Florida’s gator statue.
As for mascots, Colorado’s buffalo, Ralphie, and Oklahoma’s horses Boomer and Sooner, among others, are in the game.
College sports landscape
A lot has changed in the decades since NCAA Football 14 — the game’s last version — when the series was halted under legal and business concerns.
College athletics has since shifted with the NCAA ruling in 2021 that players can now be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness, meaning it was game on for the massively popular franchise.
EA spent more than $6 million to get athletes on board, according to The New York Times.
Star players involved
Each player who opted in and who’s featured received $600 and a deluxe edition copy of the game. More than 14,000 athletes will be featured.
Texas Longhorns backup quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, is in the game despite originally opting out of the game in March.
Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are in the game. So too are Heisman favorites Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Oregon signal-caller Dillon Gabriel.
Despite concerns of opt-outs, none of the major plays across college football opted out of the game.
