Cal football and players will be featured in EA Sports College Football 25
The return of the California Golden Bears to your video game console is imminent.
As many of you know, the popular NCAA Football video game is returning after a decade of dormancy. EA Sports College Football 25 is expected to be released this summer. Details via ESPN and 247Sports:
All 134 FBS teams will be included, like Cal.
Game modes include Dynasty, Road To Glory and Ultimate Team.
Microtransactions will not be a huge part of the game.
Conference realignment is a feature. Rebuild the Pac-12!
Playbooks are expected to be team-specific, so you should be able to play with Cal a similar type of playbook style that you’ll see on the field in the fall.
The largest component that needed to be addressed was NIL, and it seems they made the necessary deals to incorporate as many of the current players as possible. Via USA Today:
Players can opt in to appear in the video game and they'll will receive $600 as part of a name, image, and likeness deal, as well as a free copy of the game. Players would be in the game as long as they are on a roster, whether they transfer or not, and will be compensated on a yearly basis based on those factors. Players also can opt out of the game when future editions of the game are released if they so choose.
Over 10,000 college football players have opted into the video game, which is the wide plurality of FBS players. This should include most of the California Golden Bears. If a player does not opt in, EA will produce a composite, via Brandon Marcello of 247Sports.
If EA Sports is unable to secure NIL rights for a team's starter, developers will generate a randomized, generic likeness of a player with attributes built upon historical data and stats for that position on that team — and in that particular offensive or defensive scheme — over the past several years, an EA rep said.
Here are Cal players who appear to have already opted in, based on the Cal football Twitter announcements.
Running back Jaydn Ott
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza
Linebackers David Reese and Xavier Carlton
Defensive back Craig Woodson
What excites you the most about the new EA Sports College Football game? Let us know in the comments!
I got NCAA 03 with TopSpin with My OG Xbox when I was probably about 11 years old. I knew really nothing about football, so I spent tons of time on Topspin. At around the same time my friends were starting to play flag and get into college and NFL ball, so I tried out NCAA 03 and played with Cal because my brother went there. I think Steve Levy was the starting QB, with Ayoob as back up. This game taught me everything about football and made me a true Cal fan. So I'm extremely excited to throw bombs with Mendoza and run up some TDs with Ott!
What most excites me is that this monumental effort and I can coexist without me having to lift a finger.