After years of waiting, the fans at the intersection of college football and video games are finally getting what they’ve long asked for. With the release of the first EA Sports College Football 25 trailer in mid-February, the popular video game (then NCAA Football) that went away in 2013 is finally here. However, questions remained ahead of the summer 2024 release. Among these burning topics were which players will be in the game and how much NIL money will players in EA Sports College Football 25 get paid? Well, now we have the answers.

“EA Sports announced Thursday morning that all 134 FBS teams will be in the game, including soon-to-be FBS member Kennesaw State,” Chris Vaninni of The Athletic reported after the news came out. “An EA Sports spokesperson told The Athletic that every player who opts in and is selected for the game will receive $600 and a copy of the game (a $70 value). Up to 85 players per school will appear on the initial rosters.”

Additionally, some college athletes — in and out of football — will “become ambassadors for the game and receive additional NIL compensation.” As for players who do not opt-in, they “will be represented with a generic player avatar, as Barry Bonds famously was in many MLB video games.”

FBS players have until April 30 to opt in, and they’ll do so using Learfield’s COMPASS NIL app.

This is a massive deal in the gaming and college football world. There could be over 11,000 FBS players who opt into EA Sports College Football 25. For comparison, Vannini notes that there are around 1,700 NFL players who appear in the Madden franchise every year.

It also marks a watershed moment in college athletics, as Ed O’Bannon’s 2009 lawsuit against the NCAA that ultimately led to NIL was based on EA Sports using his and other athletes’ name, image, and likenesses in its college football and college basketball games.

EA Sports College Football 25 will be the first release in this series since the company discontinued the title in 2013.