EA Sports has made a significant announcement regarding its upcoming college football video game. More than 10,000 athletes have accepted an offer to have their likeness featured in the game, which is set to be released this summer. This move comes after EA Sports began reaching out to college football players in February to compensate them for their appearance in the game.
Players who choose to participate will receive a minimum of $600 and a copy of the game, as well as opportunities to earn additional money by promoting it. Those who opt out will not be included in the game, and steps will be taken to prevent gamers from manually adding or creating them within the game.
John Reseburg, vice president of marketing, communications, and partnerships at EA Sports, confirmed that over 11,000 athletes have been offered a deal to be featured in the game. The developer has also stated that all 134 FBS schools will be included in the game.
This announcement marks a significant development for EA Sports, as its college football games had been discontinued in 2013 due to legal issues surrounding the use of players' likenesses without compensation. However, with the recent approval of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for college athletes, EA Sports has been able to move forward with its plans for the new game.
The company has been working on the game since at least 2021, and this latest news indicates a positive step forward in the development and release of the highly anticipated EA Sports College Football 25.