Considering the success of College Football 25, it was always a matter of not “if” but “when” EA Sports would announce that its college football franchise would release its next installment annually.
Still, considering that college football fans and/or gamers went more than a decade between NCAA Football 14 and the franchise’s return last summer, you can’t blame them for celebrating the video game publisher’s announcement that the next edition of the game — College Football 26 — will, in fact, be releasing this coming summer.
In typical EA Sports fashion, the video game company took a minimalist approach to the announcement, subtly slipping it into a social media post that included footage of filled college football stadiums. The announcement served as a callback to last year’s announcement regarding the franchise’s official return and perhaps a nod to the popularity of College Football 25.
Despite being one of EA Sports’ most popular offerings, the college football franchise was initially discontinued following the 2013 release of NCAA 14, followed by Ed O’Bannon’s lawsuit against the NCAA regarding name, image and likeness. College athletes can now profit from their NIL; however, this has opened an avenue for not only the franchise’s return but also for players to be compensated for their inclusion in it and their marketing efforts.
First released last July, College Football 25 proved to be a historical success. According to data from the research and analytics company Circana that was first released last month, College Football 25 surpassed NBA 2K21 the highest-selling sports video game ever.
While the 11-year hiatus between releases surely contributed to the game’s popularity, there is clearly an appetite for an annual college football video game franchise. As such, it was hardly surprising to see EA Sports kick off the lead-up to Monday night’s national championship game with an announcement that was met with both celebration and an understandable sigh of relief.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.