Well, some publicity is better than none. At least that's the attitude many Tennessee Vols fans would have to take after watching EA Sports' trailer video for the 25 College Football game scheduled to come out in July.
The iconic game was last issued by EA Sports in the summer of 2013. It was subsequently discontinued when the NCAA ended its agreement with EA and several programs pulled their licensing agreements due to litigation surrounding players NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights.
With a decade having passed and with NIL rights being a marketable commodity for players, the game is back on the market again, much to the delight of college football fans and gamers who have pleaded for its return. As such, the trailer video was of particular interest to college fans wanting to see what their teams and stadiums would look like.
Bring Glory Home.
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) May 17, 2024
Coming July 19. Pre-Order Now
: https://t.co/sJ7cJ5NXLj
#CFB25 pic.twitter.com/iJWl5ZxVQl
Mood.#GBO @EASPORTSCollege #CFB25 pic.twitter.com/YLkwKbvVJM
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) May 17, 2024
Well, Tennessee fans got to see that. Barely. There was a half second clip of smokey on the field of Neyland Stadium and a half second clip of a player. That's literally it.
However, fans did get a shot to see what the inside of Neyland Stadium is going to look like - at least from a couple of angles.
EA was usually very good about capturing realism of the actual in-stadium experience with their games, and they will probably work to get it as accurate as possible. However, it's worth noting that the version shared by EA and the Tennessee football program shows no visitors tunnel in the end zone. The "V-O-L-S" sign also appears to be a bit off with no sign of the scoreboard but could just be the angle from the game clip.
In all likelihood, this was just a working version that they hadn't touched up yet. Or at least that's what one can hope.
Regardless, Tennessee fans and those of every other school across the country are thrilled to get their hands on the game and get back to what they enjoyed greatly ten years ago. July 19 will be here soon.
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