College football is going through some serious changes in 2024, and we’re not just talking about the playoff system. First off, the entire landscape of college football is shifting thanks to various conferences gaining new members, and some are basically shutting down entirely! RIP Pac 12! As if that’s not enough, some big-time coaches have retired, the “Transfer Portal” is consuming all sorts of players and then sending them to different places, which can totally affect how next year goes, and then, there’s the video game side of things! EA Sports College Football 25 will debut this year, and it appears as though EA Sports is taking the “easy road” with its construction.
Confused? Well, back when the game was first being made, an “insider” reported that the game wouldn’t be built with other engines that Electronic Arts had but would be “built from the ground up” to help give the game its own look and feel. However, as ESPN found out in a chat with EA Sports, that’s not the case. Instead, the Frostbite Engine, which is used to make the NFL games from EA Sports, will be the one used in EA Sports College Football 25.
Why does this matter? There are a couple of reasons for fans not to be happy. The first reason is that the college version of football hasn’t had a new game in ten years. Ironically, the last game was beloved by fans for how distinct it felt compared to the NFL title that shared the same engine at the time. However, in recent years, the NFL titles from EA Sports have felt like VERY small upgrades despite being fully-priced titles. This has been an issue for many sports games across numerous leagues, but the NFL games are the “cornerstone” in many respects.
Second, it will make fans wonder just how “special” the college-focused title will be. As you can see from the tweet above, all the major teams from D1 will be in the game, which is great! But when you think about what has held the NFL titles back in recent years, this use of the same engine could mean that things could “play the same.”
It should be noted that EA Sports denies that it will be like the NFL, but that might just mean it’ll have slightly different modes, given the difference between college and the pros. Also, different players and teams mean different stats and such.
A full unveiling of the game is scheduled for May, so stay tuned!
