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Eastern Michigan quarterback and Southwestern graduate Cole Snyder is one of more than 11,000 players making their debut in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game this week.

EA Sports College Football 25, one of the most anticipated sports video games of all time, has been flooded with games that have been waiting for the next installment in the franchise for over a decade.

The game officially launched on Friday, with EA Sports already ramping up server capacity to handle the crowds. More than 2.2 million people had already played the game during an early access period before launch.

“To say we’ve been overwhelmed by the excitement, energy, and anticipation surrounding College Football 25 over the past few months would be an understatement,” EA Sports said in a blog post this week. “Like you, our team has been eyeing July 19th for months as the culmination of all the work and dedication that went into building this game, and the chance to see it in players’ hands for the first time.”

EA Sports’ college football video games were released annually, a cultural icon in American sports for much of the franchise’s existence. The company froze future editions in 2013 when athletes began questioning why they weren’t being paid to appear in the games.

With athletes’ compensation rights settled in court and now allowed by the NCAA, EA Sports announced in 2021 that it would revive the franchise. The video game developer offered Bowl Subdivision players a minimum of $600 and a copy of the game to have their likeness included in the game. More than 11,000 players accepted the offers.

Eastern Michigan quarterback and Southwestern graduate Cole Snyder has a 77 overall rating with a 90 throwing power in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game released this week.

The National College Players Association, a group that has long advocated for college player pay, saw the sport as a milestone in its mission.

“It’s exciting for me, my teammates and my friends from other schools to be in the game and get paid,” Washington defensive back and NCPA leader Dyson McCutcheon said in a press release. “I’ve been playing this game all week. I know a lot of people have been fighting for me to get to this point and I’m grateful.”

EA Sports has said the game’s goal was to “feel like a love letter to American football and its fans.”

UCLA, Mississippi State, San Diego State and Colorado were among the schools hosting College Football 25 events this week. On social platforms, athletes like LeBron James, Tim Tebow and Michael Vick — even comedians Shane Gillis and Dan Soder — streamed live head-to-head matches in the game.

Donovan Edwards, running back at Michigan and one of the athletes featured on the cover, said in May that one of the best moments of his childhood involved playing college football on EA Sports with his best friend.

Eastern Michigan quarterback and Southwestern graduate Cole Snyder has a 77 overall rating with a 90 throwing power in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game released this week.

“Just having it back and being on the cover is an amazing feeling,” he said.

The other athletes featured in the standard edition of the game are Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter. The deluxe edition features the backs of numerous players in a stadium tunnel, including Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.

EA Sports’ college football franchise dates back to the 1990s. Its popularity grew in the early 2000s as game systems became more advanced, enabling revolutionary game modes like the popular Race for the Heisman create-a-player introduced in NCAA Football 06.

That edition also featured historic teams, including the 1992 Alabama team that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney played on.

“I’m losing sleep,” Swinney joked about the 70 overall rating for his player, “WR No. 88,” who nevertheless had a 91 speed rating. “They’ve got to have my speed down the mound. I appreciate the love they’ve given me for that.”

Eastern Michigan quarterback and Southwestern graduate Cole Snyder has a 77 overall rating with a 90 throwing power in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game released this week.

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