Summary

• EA College Football 25 is already a massive hit with over 700,000 pre-order players, proving the demand for a new installment.
• College Football's popularity dwarfs the NFL in some states, explaining the excitement for the game's return after an 11-year hiatus.
• With rave reviews and player investment, EA College Football 25 could be set to become an annual success for EA in the future.

Despite the fact that EA College Football 25 hasn't even launched yet, the game is already blowing up to quickly become one of 2024's biggest releases. It's been over a decade since the launch of an official College Football game and as the league has only continued to soar in popularity, it makes sense that the demands for a new installment have reached such a fever pitch. While it's easy to see why the game's already so successful, attaining such a goal with nothing but pre-orders to its name is a genuine accomplishment.

Per Kotaku, EA College Football 25 managed to sur 700,000 players in the pre-order early-access period that's currently taking place before the game launches on July 19. Those die-hard enthusiasts who couldn't wait an extra three days to play the sports simulator paid extra money to play the game early, and while that may not sound like a major draw for consumers, one should never underestimate the power of College Football. On July 16, the game racked up a total of 713,975 concurrent Steam players, making it one of 2024's biggest titles.

Why Is EA College Football Making Waves?

People Love A Good Sports Game

From an outside perspective, it's easy to underplay the significance of College Football as a league of its own. In many states in the USA, College Football is massive, oftentimes even dwarfing the NFL in of audience engagement, stadium attendance, and televised game viewings. The fact that fans have had to wait for 11 years for the return of EA College Football suggests that players are hungry to return to the series.

It helps that EA College Football 25 has been earning plenty of rave reviews as many critics and fans of the genre have praised it as one of the best Football games in years. With tight controls, an in-depth play system that allows for more coordination on the field, and breath of fresh air many Madden fans have requested for years. The fact that players were willing to fork over $90 to simply play the game early is clearly a major win for EA.

Having said that, it remains to be seen whether EA College Football 25 is the start of a fresh franchise for EA. With such a massively positive response right out of the gate, it's difficult to imagine the publisher letting the series go on another decade-long hiatus. This may be the birth of another annual release for EA, something fans would likely welcome with open arms.

Source: Kotaku