On Friday EA Sports released its highly anticipated new College Football 25, which has real players on real teams in an unreal video game experience.
Mike Straw, senior editor of Insider Gaming, says, " I don't think I've seen a game that has people as excited for this, other than maybe a Grand Theft Auto type of thing, but it feels like this is one of those things that it's bringing everybody together. There's so much here that no matter what type of football fan you are, you're going to find something to enjoy."
The game includes players, stadiums and fan experiences from 134 college football teams, large and small.
EA Sports has brought new life to an old slogan: "If it’s in the game, it’s in the game."
"Just 15 years ago. You couldn't imagine just having the resources to do it. Now you are getting as close to true to life as you've ever gotten," said Straw.
The game has everything from weather conditions to differing times of day or night — and these players are playing football.
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SCRIPPS NEWS' PAUL CRANE: If you run a player over and over in this video game, he's likely to get injured and have body parts wear down. How different is that going to be for players who take part?
MIKE STRAW: That's going to be a game-changer for a lot of people. Part of it might be their injury resistance because they could have a shoulder problem ... Individual body parts could now start to be affected.
College players included in the game each receive $600 and a free copy of the game. That may prove to be a real bargain.
"Based on what I'm hearing about the interest and what EA might expect for these sales to be, I could only see this going up year over year," Straw said.
With 134 teams and roster limits of 85 players, the payout is more than $6.8 million.
It’s the largest NIL deal ever and looks like it’s only going to get bigger and bigger.
