There’s some big news today for college football fans! ESPN is reporting that EA Sports has contracted with OneTeam Partners to get player names and likenesses into the upcoming College Football 25 game.
All FBS players will be able to opt-in to the game. Players who opt-in will receive compensation for being represented in the game.
The exact player compensation hasn’t yet been worked out but the goal is to make it as “inclusive and equitable as possible.” If they can’t figure out a good way to do that then the money will be divided equally among the athletes in each licensing program.
If a player opts out, EA plans to create a generic player name and avatar in their place. It’s early days still be we do not expect very many players to opt out.
At least 120 schools and all 10 FBS conferences have opted into the game as well as the College Football Playoff.
One of the last major universities holding out, Tulane, has revealed that they plan to be in the new game now that a framework for college athletes being paid has been worked out.
EA plans to pay schools who opt into the game a 10% revenue share. College athletes can opt in to having their NIL in the game for a payment of around $500.
Face scans are possible for many of the higher profile players and programs but because there are thousands of college football players located in hundreds of different locations, it isn’t something EA is going to universally promise.
This news comes after some other big news regarding three popular game modes returning. We are slowly starting to get a better picture of what to expect in July 2024.
