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EA Sports College Football 25

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EA Sports College Football 25
Standard Edition Cover art featuring Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter, and Donovan Edwards at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
Developer(s)EA Orlando
Publisher(s)EA Sports
SeriesEA Sports College Football
EngineFrostbite
Platform(s)PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
ReleaseJuly 19, 2024
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

EA Sports College Football 25 is a video game based on college football, developed by EA Orlando and published by EA Sports.[1] It is a part of the EA Sports College Football game series and the first such game in eleven years since NCAA Football 14 in 2013.[2]

Development

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Following the release of the series' previous entry in 2013, Electronic Arts (EA) settled a lawsuit brought by former college football players who argued their name, image and, likeness (NIL) were used without permission or compensation. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), whose brand was licensed by EA, had a history of resisting attempts to financially compensate its athletes.[3] As a part of the settlement, EA announced it would stop producing college football video games.[4]

The 2021 United States Supreme Court case NCAA. v. Alston deemed the NCAA's precedent of avoiding compensating athletes impermissible.[5] Following the ruling, the NCAA reversed its position, creating rules for likeness compensation.[6] In 2023, after the implementation of these changes, EA announced that player likenesses would be featured in their next college football game.[7] In February 2024, EA revealed that they would pay each athlete a flat $600 payment and a copy of the game for allowing the NIL to be used; athletes who decline to allow EA to use their identity will be replaced in-game with a generic, auto-generated character and EA would block players from creating and inserting the athlete into the game manually.[8][9] By early March 2024, EA had secured NIL opt-ins from over 10,000 athletes. [10] Similarly, the Heisman Trophy and the various bowls will appear in the game, but the National College Football Awards Association requested that their awards and trophies not be included; the Lou Groza Award is the coalition's only honor to opt into the game.[11][12][13][14] The game is developed using the Frostbite engine.[15]

Release

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College Football 25 was pitched to EA Sports by Daryl Holt, their current senior vice president and group general manager, in December 2019, being greenlit for development shortly after.[16] In February 2021, EA publicly announced that the College Football series would return.[17] EA Orlando, developers of the Madden NFL series, was announced to be creating the game.[18] On February 15, 2024, EA confirmed the game's title as EA Sports College Football 25 and revealed a trailer for it, promising to provide further information in May 2024.[19]

On February 22, 2024, EA Sports announced that all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs would be featured in EA Sports College Football 25 but the 128 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs would not be included at launch.[20][21] That same day, ESPN's lead college football commentary team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit announced that they would be featured as commentators.[22][23] Herbstreit was a commentator in EA's original NCAA Football series until its hiatus after NCAA Football 14. ESPN studio host Kevin Connors confirmed his involvement on X (Twitter) the same day,[24] along with ESPN College Football studio and game analyst Jesse Palmer,[25] Rece Davis, and former College GameDay analyst David Pollack.[26]

On May 16, 2024, EA Sports revealed the main cover of the game, featuring Quinn Ewers, quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, Travis Hunter, wide receiver and defensive back for the Colorado Buffaloes, and Donovan Edwards, running back for the Michigan Wolverines, and officially confirmed the game would release on July 19, 2024, with early access for Deluxe Edition owners starting July 15, ahead of its gameplay reveal trailer the following day.[27] Following the release of the trailer, EA Sports confirmed that many of its old features from NCAA Football 14 would be brought to College Football 25 such as Team Builder, Road to Glory, and Dynasty.[28] The gameplay deep dive that released on May 31 unveiled features such as "CampusIQ," the gameplay system, which encompasses three fundamental pillars: "All 22+" which highlights the importance of individual players and their unique abilities, "134 ways to play," meaning that every team has their own unique playbook, and "Stories of Saturday," which seeks to encapsulate the raw emotions of these student athletes as they perform under intense pressure in hostile environments, put simply, a freshman responding far differently than a senior.[29]

On June 28, 2024, EA Sports revealed its top 25 overall team power rankings, and on July 2, 2024, Dynasty was revealed.[30][31]

A 21-minute gameplay trailer was premiered on July 8, 2024, featuring YouTuber Bordeaux and cover athlete Donovan Edwards. They played two games, with Edwards winning both with raw gameplay being revealed soon after.[32] As well as the trailer, the day after, an Ultimate Team Deep Dive was posted. However, unlike previous deep dives, this one was posted only to their official website. Following the same set, the Road to Glory Deep Dive released on July 11, 2024.

On July 12, 2024, YouTubers and Twitch Streamers who are in EA's Creator Network program got access to a nearly final edition of the game, in which rebuilds, player careers, and raw gameplay were shortly uploaded and streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and other platforms. The worldwide release was on July 19.

Reception

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EA Sports College Football 25 received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[39] At launch, the game attracted more than 2.8 million players, 2.2 million of whom purchased the Deluxe Edition, which allowed players to access the game three days earlier than other players.[40]

IGN gave the game a 7/10, praising the gameplay but criticizing the lack of depth in the core game modes.[37] GameSpot rated the game an 8/10, noting that the game had strong presentation and atmosphere but critiquing the Road to Glory game mode.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "EA Sports College Football 25 release date, covers revealed: Video game returns in July after 11-year hiatus". CBS Sports. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ "EA Sports to launch college football game in'24". ESPN.com. 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  3. ^ Tepen, Luke (2021-01-01). "Pay to Play: Looking Beyond Direct Compensation and Towards Paying College Athletes for Themselves". Washington University Journal of Law & Policy. 65 (1): 213–246. ISSN 1533-4686.
  4. ^ "EA settles lawsuit, to leave college football". ESPN.com. 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  5. ^ "NCAA v. Alston". Harvard Law Review. 135 (1): 471–480. 2021-11-10. ISSN 0017-811X. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  6. ^ "NCAA adopts interim name, image and likeness policy | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  7. ^ McDaniel, Mike (2023-05-17). "EA Sports Announces Decision on Real FBS Players Being in New College Football Video Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Michael (February 22, 2024). "Players can start opting in to EA Sports College Football 25". ESPN.
  9. ^ Kryska, Ryan (February 22, 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25 to block gamers from manually adding players who reject NIL opt-in". Associated Press.
  10. ^ Lawler, Richard (March 5, 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25 has signed up over 10,000 athletes". The Verge.
  11. ^ Ubben, David (March 8, 2024). "College Football 25 won't include some major awards after NCFAA rejects EA offer". The Athletic.
  12. ^ Polacek, Scott (March 8, 2024). "Heisman Trophy Will Be in EA Sports' College Football 25; Other Awards Opt Out". Bleacher Report.
  13. ^ "Bowl games will reportedly be included in EA Sports 'College Football 25'". Fox Sports. March 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Nakos, Pete (May 21, 2024). "Lou Groza Award opts-in to EA Sports College Football 25". On3. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  15. ^ "'They didn't take no for an answer': Inside the return of EA Sports College Football". 15 July 2024.
  16. ^ Rothstein, Michael (2024-05-17). "'They didn't take no for an answer': Inside the return of EA Sports College Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-07-02. Holt, now the senior vice president and group general manager of EA Sports, understood the concerns and questions his bosses might have when he pitched the potential return of EA Sports College Football in December 2019.
  17. ^ Ballard, John (2021-02-09). "Why Electronic Arts' Return to College Football Is a Big Deal". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  18. ^ Sentinel, Austin Fuller | Orlando (2021-02-09). "EA Sports College Football will be built in Orlando, perhaps bringing more jobs". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  19. ^ "EA Sports College Football 25: Yeah, It's Really Happening". Electronic Arts Inc. 2024-02-15. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  20. ^ "They're in the game. College Football 25 will feature all 134 FBS schools #CFB25". February 22, 2023.
  21. ^ Backus, Will (February 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25: How players will be compensated as all 134 FBS schools join video game relaunch". CBS Sports.
  22. ^ "I'm in the Game! Today, I can finally make it official. I am honored to be one of the voices in #CFB25 ! Wait until you see this game! #EAPartner". February 22, 2023.
  23. ^ "I'm so excited to FINALLY announce that I'm part of @EASPORTSCollege. I'm proud to be a partner and one of the voices of the game once again - my 14th year in that role. #CFB25 #EAPartner". February 22, 2023.
  24. ^ "I'm in the game! So honored to be part of this incredible team — and a voice in a game I literally grew up playing! @EASPORTSCollege #CFB25 #EAPartner". February 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "I'm in the game! Excited to be one of the voices in #CFB25 and to see all the players have the opportunity to be in the game! Congrats @EASPORTSCollege! Bringing back some amazing memories. #CFB25 #EAPartner". February 22, 2023.
  26. ^ "I'm in the Game! Go Dawgs! @EASPORTSCollege #CFB25 #EAPartner". February 22, 2023.
  27. ^ Lyles, Taylor (2024-05-16). "College Football 25 Finally Has a Release Date". IGN. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  28. ^ Arts, Electronic (2024-05-17). "WELCOME TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 - EA SPORTS". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  29. ^ "College Football 25 Gameplay Deep Dive - EA SPORTS". Electronic Arts Inc. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  30. ^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 RANKINGS WEEK SHOWCASE". June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  31. ^ EA SPORTS College (2024-07-02). College Football 25 | Dynasty Deep Dive. Retrieved 2024-07-11 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ EA SPORTS College (2024-07-08). College Football 25 | Gameplay First Look. Retrieved 2024-07-11 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "EA Sports College Football 25 for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "EA Sports College Football 25 for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Guisao, Jason (July 19, 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25 Review - Hail Mary". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  36. ^ a b McMahon, Andrew (July 24, 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25 Review: University of Madden". GameSpot. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Borger, Will (July 25, 2024). "College Football 25 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  38. ^ Wilson, Ben (July 19, 2024). "College Football 25 review: "Cancel any summer commitments because Dynasty is going to rule your life"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  39. ^ "EA Sports College Football 25". Metacritic. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  40. ^ McWhertor, Michael (July 20, 2024). "EA Sports College Football 25's $100 version paid off for EA, with 2.2M early access players". Polygon. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
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