Slowly but surely, information on EA College Football 25 is going public.
We know the game will be officially revealed this month. One of three covers for the game has leaked, and that leak was even confirmed by the title's official X account.
Over 11,000 college athletes have chosen to be part of the game, making them eligible to have their name, likeness, and image featured. Furthermore, all FBS schools will be incorporated into the game upon release.
That's a good bit of information, but there are at least ten things we don't know that users are asking on some level in anticipation of the reveal.
1 - What's The Release Date?
Let's start with the basics. Many of us expect the game to be released in July, and reports suggest July 19 is the date. However, until EA confirms the date, every specific is just an educated guess.
July makes sense because it's the month of release for the old NCAA Football series, and returning to this release window would put EACF ahead of Madden's annual calendar release.
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2 - What Platforms Will the Game Be Available On?
We know the game will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X, but will PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC be left out in the cold? I'd hate to see EA use resources to support last-gen systems for this or future releases.
It's time for EA to cut loose and only task its development team with pushing out the best title on current-gen systems.
3 - How Will Gameplay Differ From Madden?
Video game football has to be played from the vertical camera with a feel that originated with the first Madden game and titles like 10-Yard Fight on Nintendo.
Because of that, we know that EACF 25 will have some significant similarities to Madden in terms of gameplay. However, a big question is how it will differ.
What style of play, be it from playbooks, rule sets, or general feel, will there be that tells gamers they're playing EACF 25 and not just Madden with players in collegiate uniforms?
4 - Will EACF 25 Be Connected to Madden Besides Sharing a Developer/Publisher and a Generally Similar Scope?
This question is multi-layered. Many users want to know if they can export their draft class from EACF to Madden.
That functionality used to be present between NCAA Football and Madden. Will anything earned or purchased in EACF be transferable to Madden, and will there be any visual or audio references to the other in each game?
EA is looking to take over the virtual football world by returning the college experience to gaming. Connecting the products makes sense, but how will those connections be defined?
5 - How Will Ultimate Team Be Incorporated in EACF 25?
While we haven't seen anything official, we'd all be shocked if there was no Ultimate Team in EACF 25. The more logical question is how fleshed out it will be in Year 1.
Are we looking at a version of Ultimate Team that is layered and connected to MUT? Will Legends be incorporated, and if so, which legends will be included? It seems safe to assume former Oklahoma State Cowboys star and Heisman winner Barry Sanders won't be one of the legends included.
Lastly, if we see legends, will they remain locked in Ultimate Team, or is this the year EA does what every other sports video game franchise has done, allowing users to have the legends in the other game modes?
6 - How Will EA Support Dynasty Mode?
Dynasty mode is the EACF equivalent to franchise mode in Madden. It was the lifeblood of the NCAA series, but the Ultimate Team concept was less popular in 2013.
Eleven years later, it will be interesting to see if EA supports Dynasty mode the way it did before. Once information is revealed, the functionality of recruiting systems, the transfer portal (confirmed), rankings, Heisman voting, graduation, professional pursuits, and the playoff structure are things to pay close attention to.
7 - Will Team Builder Return, and What Level of Customization Will Be Offered?
Consider this an extension of Dynasty mode support, but customization goes further than just Dynasty mode. The NCAA series had arguably the best customization suite of any sports video game, and that was over a decade ago.
Team Builder was a web-based customization feature allowing users to build and export their teams to the console game.
In this era of gaming, this would likely be available as an app on Android and iPhone and hopefully on PC as well. It would be an excellent touch and a way to show the progression of the old series' most vital points.
Furthermore, we wonder if you can still edit all rosters, teams, uniforms, and stadiums fully–even apart from Team Builder.
8 - Will Road to Glory Return?
Road to Glory was the single-player career mode option. You'd have to think there will be an option for a similar experience. However, will it be called RTG, and if so, what bells and whistles will be added to push the concept into this generation?
RTG was more of a barebones career mode in NCAA Football 14. Ideally, we'd love to see it get an upgrade.
9 - Will the Heisman Challenge Return?
NCAA Football also had a mode called Heisman Challenge that allowed users to relive the careers of past Heisman winners.
If it returns, I can see this mode living inside Ultimate Team as a method of unlocking legend cards.
10 - What Areas of Presentation Will Be Augmented?
Presentation is often one of the areas EA Sports will ignore or show the least amount of love. I'm hoping we see that change in EACF and Madden. While I expect the pageantry associated with college football, I'm more interested in seeing what presentation is included in Dynasty mode.
That's the mode where presentation quality stands to be best appreciated. Ultimate Team and online regs users are likely interested in only a few–if any–presentation elements. The experience boils down to winning and losing for them.
Franchise mode players are looking for the sort of immersion that quality presentation helps to deliver. Let's hope this is a concept EA gets and embraces.
We will have the answers to all of these questions soon enough.
