One of the most anticipated sports video games of all time, EA Sports College Football 25 has hit the market to a fervent response from gamers who have been waiting for the next installment in the franchise for over a decade.
The game officially launched with EA Sports on Friday. Increase server capacity We’ve prepared in advance to handle the crowds. Over 2.2 million people have already played the game during the early access period before launch.
“To say we’ve been overwhelmed with excitement, energy and anticipation for College Football 25 over the past few months would be an understatement,” EA Sports said in a blog post this week. “Like you, our team has been looking to July 19th as the culmination of months of hard work and dedication to creating this game, and now, the chance to see it in players’ hands for the first time.”
EA Sports’ college football game has been released annually and has been a cultural icon of American sports for most of the franchise’s existence. The company froze future editions in 2013 after players began questioning why they weren’t being paid to appear in the game.
With player compensation rights settled in court and the NCAA allowing it, EA Sports announced it would revive the franchise in 2021. The video game developer offered Bowl Subdivision players at least $600 and a copy of the game to have their likenesses featured in the game. More than 11,000 players accepted the offer.
The National College Players Association, a group that has long advocated for college athletes to be paid, celebrated the game as a milestone in its mission.
“It’s exciting for me and my teammates and friends from other schools to go out and get paid to play,” Washington defensive end and NCPA leader Dyson McCutcheon said in a news release. “I’ve been playing this game all week. I know there were a lot of people who fought for this game before me, and I’m grateful.”
EA Sports said the goal of the game was to “feel like a love letter to college football and its fans.”
UCLA, Mississippi State, San Diego State, and Colorado were among the schools hosting College Football 25 events this week. Across social platforms, athletes like LeBron James, Tim Tebow, Michael Vick, and even comedians Shane Gillis and Dan Soder live-streamed the matchups.
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, one of the cover models, said in May that one of his fondest memories as a kid was playing EA Sports college football with his best friend.
“Just being able to come back and be on the cover is a really great feeling,” he said.
The game’s other standard edition cover players include Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter. The deluxe edition features the backs of numerous players in the stadium tunnel, including Alabama quarterback Jelen Millo, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, and Ohio State running back Quinson Judkins.
EA Sports’ college football franchise dates back to the 1990s, and gained popularity in the early 2000s as the game system became more advanced, leading to innovative game modes like the popular Race for the Heisman create-a-player introduced in NCAA Football 06.
The tournament also featured historic teams, including the 1992 Alabama team that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney played for.
“I was a little quiet,” Sweeney joked about his “WR No. 88,” who had a 70 overall rating. But his speed rating was 91. “They’re going to have the speed I have down the hill. I appreciate the love they gave me.”
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AP Sports Writer Pete Iacovelli contributed to this report.
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football. Sign up for the AP College Football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
