LOOK: Nearly 90% of Players Have Signed to be in EA Sports’ College Football 25
Despite speculation that student-athletes would spurn $600 and a free copy of the game, nearly 90% of college football players have already signed up to be a part of EA Sports’ College Football 25, the video game company announced on Monday.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, EA reached 10,000 opt-ins on Friday night, merely eight days after opening the opportunity to FBS programs.
In surpassing 10,000 signs ups, EA Sports has secured over 87% of its original goal, which is to including every scholarship football player in the country when the game launches in July.
“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, told ESPN in a statement. “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.”
The opt-in process has been simplified for athletes, as all they have to do is sign in with an application on their smartphone and review the document before deciding whether or not to allow EA access to their rights.
According to multiple reports, players will receive annual payouts from EA Sports for their rights, with their contracts remaining valid should they decide to transfer schools. However, it is also worth noting that players are able to opt out of future installments of the game should they decide to do so.
A spokesperson from EA Sports reportedly told ESPN that more than 100 of the most recognizable college football players in the country have opted in over the past week, including Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel.
Once EA secures the rights to players’ name, image, and likeness, they can begin the tumultuous process of getting all of those players into the game, which will be no easy task. However, with the company expecting to “make history” with the launch of its new title, it’ll certainly be up to task after developing this game for well over three years now.
