Players can opt into EA Sports College Football
Today is the day
On Thursday, more than 11,000 college football players can opt into EA Sports College Football, EA Sports College Football 25, and receive payment for it. EA Sports has completed its plan for using players’ names, images, and likenesses in the game and will now initiate the opt-in process. Initially, each school’s roster will feature up to 85 players in the game, which will be released this summer.
All players who choose to participate by allowing their name, image, and likeness to be used will receive a payment of $600, as well as a copy of the game, which usually costs $70. Players will remain in the game for the entirety of their college careers but may choose to opt out of future versions if they wish. Players who remain in the game for multiple years will be paid annually, and players who transfer will continue to receive compensation as long as they are on a roster.
NEW: College football players can opt into EA Sports College Football 25 beginning today.
🎮 All 134 FBS teams in the game
🎮 Players will get $600 + a copy of the game
🎮 Opt in via the COMPASS NIL app
🎮 More 11,000 players expected in the gameMORE: https://t.co/mLjsSxIw0c pic.twitter.com/R17tTuVWWb
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) February 22, 2024
EA Comment
“We feel very proud that we’ll be the largest program, likely the highest-spending program,” Sean O’Brien, EA Sports’ vice president of business development, told ESPN. “And really an inclusive opportunity with an equitable distribution of funds across the board.”
To help arrive at the $600 payment, O’Brien said EA Sports looked at deals completed with other sports titles, including the Madden NFL series, the NHL series, and the company’s soccer game. EA Sports’ college football deal comes with no expected services by the athlete and will be guaranteed no matter the game’s success.
“There’s nothing been done on this scale that EA is doing, where every student-athlete that participates in the game is guaranteed revenue,” said Cory Moss, the CEO of the Collegiate Licensing Company, which has worked with EA on the game.
NIL Opportunities
EA Sports has announced that there will be over 100 additional NIL opportunities for athletes to work with them. These opportunities could include on-campus promotions, social media posts, advertisements, or even the chance to appear on the game’s cover. It is possible that these opportunities could extend beyond college football players. EA Sports is also planning to pay athletes from other men’s and women’s college sports to promote the game, according to O’Brien.
The licensing agreement was developed with OneTeam Partners, and Frank Arthofer, the company’s president, stated that the NIL opportunities would be negotiated directly between EA Sports and the athletes. Arthofer said that the scale of the 11,000-plus opt-ins for EA Sports was “unprecedented.” O’Brien said that the ambassador program for the college football game would likely be larger than any other similar program for other EA titles.
Highly Anticipated, and long-awaited
The return to college football is something that EA Sports wants to celebrate, according to O’Brien. Notre Dame, the largest potential holdout, announced that it would participate, and all 134 FBS schools have agreed to be in the game. Daryl Holt, the senior vice president of EA Sports and the group general manager of Tiburon Studios and American Football, told ESPN that no FCS schools will be in the game at launch.
Features EA Sports College Football 25 MUST Have pic.twitter.com/vKx1BXsTli
— Drew (NTE) (@NotTheExpertYT) February 21, 2024
Official Requirements
O’Brien stated that to receive the opt-in notice, athletes are required to have an official university email address. EA Sports will add the player to the game only after confirming that the player is on the roster.
According to O’Brien, the program is designed in a way that can adapt to any changes that might occur in the college landscape, including the payment of players or any future legislation. EA Sports is already familiar with the possible unionization of athletes due to its work with the NFLPA and NHLPA, and they believe that their strategy from day one has prepared them to handle any potential challenges in the future. “We feel very confident that we won’t have to exit the program because of any future developments,” O’Brien said.
No face scans, yet
Holt said individual players will not have face scans for at least the first year, since the logistics of attempting this with over 11,000 athletes would be very difficult. But EA Sports is working with schools and roster photos to “create a representative likeness of the player.”
If a player chooses to not be in the game, Holt said EA Sports will create a generic avatar based on the traditional strength or weakness of a position over the past decade for that school. Holt said they want to “make sure the program still represents the integrity and strength of how that team plays and what that program has done over the past recent history.”
Creativity added, you can be a star too
Gamers will be allowed to create their own players, but Holt said the game will not allow an opted-out player to be created and inserted into the game.
“I won’t reveal how we’re dealing with that,” Holt said. “But yeah, you won’t be able to edit that.”
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