EA Sports College Football 25 Putting Up Massive Sale Numbers

The highly anticipated College Football 25 video game, the first with NIL compensation, is selling like hotcakes.

A commercial for the College Football 25 video game, featuring Texas Football quarterback Quinn Ewers plays during the fifth inning of the Longhorns' baseball game against the Kansas Jayhawks, Thursday, May 16, 2024 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

EA Sports College Football 25 was one of the most anticipated video games in recent history. Shelved for more than 10 years, the game has returned to much fanfare and some eye-popping sales numbers.

This year’s version was unique for several reasons. Not only did EA Sport revamp the game engine, giving people a totally new experience playing the game, but it is the first that has actual college players in the game.

For the first time in the game’s history, athletes are being compensated for their name, image and likeness. The NIL era of collegiate sports has led to the most immersive college football game to date.

Playing as your favorite school has always been possible, but now you can control your favorite players as well. More than 14,000 players opted in to be included, easily helping EA Sports surpass their goal of having at least 85 players on each roster.

Every athlete who opted to be in the game received a free copy of NCAA Football 25, valued at $70, and $600. That $600 number is something that athletes in the future may push to see increased with how much money the game is generating.

In two short weeks, more than 5 million new players have started using NCAA Football 25. When the trial launched, more than 500,000 people partook. That has resulted in EA Sports clearing $500 million in sales already.

“EA delivered a strong start to FY25, beating net bookings guidance as we continue to execute across our business,” EA Sports CEO Andrew Wilson said in an earnings report. “Our focus on delivering bigger, bolder, and more connected experiences for our players has never been sharper and is illustrated by the record-breaking launch of EA SPORTS College Football 25 as we head into another historic Q2 sports season at EA.”

The last time a college football game was made was in 2013. In 1993, the first college football game was introduced with Bill Walsh College Football. They were following the same model as their NFL game, which featured John Madden as the name of the video game.

His name was on the game for 1995 before being changed to College Football USA 96 and 97. From 1998 through 2013, it was NCAA Football before EA Sports College Football 25 launched.

In 2013, their game sold about 1.5 million copies. EA Sports has blown by that mark with their new game, as sales are going to continue climbing with more fans buying next-generation consoles and the Ultimate Team mode having some in-game purchase potential.