EA Sports College Football 25 is the latest sensation taking the world of gaming by storm.
A return to form, the franchise has managed to secure over 10,000 athletes ready to participate in the game.
Making it a unique and fascinating development in the gaming industry.
The company, while unveiling the ground-breaking initiative early February, invited FBS program players to opt-in.
The response was quick and extensive, with the company reaching the 10,000 opt-in milestone in a mere eight days.
𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: College Football 25 already has over 10,000 athletes committed to appearing in the game 🔥 https://t.co/0GrSuVZSoD pic.twitter.com/OMeWXLpmiI
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 4, 2024
The athletes who opt-in will receive a, $600 payment and a complimentary copy of the classic game, thanks to a pioneering name, image and likeness deal.
The offer is especially significant considering the increased protection and compensation for college athletes’ intellectual properties.
This remarkable achievement indicates that EA Sports has already achieved 87% of its target, as the company strives to align its game with 85-man rosters synonymous with real-life teams.
Daryl Holt, a top official from the gaming industry giant, shared the company’s elation over the overwhelming response.
“The response to the athlete opt-in opportunity for EA Sports College Football 25 has been phenomenal,” Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager for EA Sports’ Tiburon Studios and American football division, said in a statement to ESPN. “In the little over one week, over 10,000 athletes across the FBS have opted-in to the offer with more saying ‘yes’ every hour. We’re excited to welcome more athletes in the weeks ahead and to debut this first class of athletes in the game when it launches this summer.”
Next to scholarship players, non-scholarship athletes can also sign up to join the game via a dedicated app.
After creating a profile and scrutinizing the offer, players can agree to have their name, image, and likeness used in the game.
Notably, EA Sports has also included freshman players in this deal, encouraging them to opt-in once they are enrolled in college and aim to include all qualified athletes before the game’s official release.
One of the critical advantages of participating in the game is that athletes will receive annual payments throughout their college careers.
Even if a player decides to transfer during their college years, their individual licensing deals remain valid. Athletes can also choose to withdraw from participating in future games if they wish.
Several prominent faces in college football have opted-in, including Travis Hunter of Colorado, Quinn Ewers of Texas, Carson Beck of Georgia, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Oregon’s star Dillon Gabriel.
Their participation adds star power to the EA Sports’ initiative.
Sean O’Brien, the vice president of business development at EA Sports, revealed that the $600 payment benchmark arose from analyzing deals with other games.
The athletes are not required to provide any kind of service, and will receive the guaranteed payment regardless of how the game performs.
