•Ontwikkelaars working on EA Sports’ College Football franchise reportedly fear the series may not survive past the end of the decade, according to a report by Mike Straw for Insider Gaming that spoke to senior-level sources connected to the football games.
The reporter noted that while the series is performing well overall, sales have gradually declined from entry to entry since its highly anticipated 2024 debut. Though not unexpected given the extreme hype surrounding the original release, development and licensing costs associated with the game have been rising.
According to the report, EA paid each featured player $600 in 2024—roughly $7 million total. Those costs have since tripled, with NIL (name, image, likeness) rights now costing $1,500 per player. As a result, EA spent approximately $20 million on players for its latest release. The company also pays significant sums to license bowl games, universities and other elements, meaning tens of millions of dollars goes toward simply having the right to use certain assets rather than raw development.
The rising expenses have prompted EA to attempt monetizing key areas of the game, including single-player modes. This drew heavy backlash earlier this summer as players felt pushed to pay for efficient access to single-player content. EA eventually reversed course but said it would retool these options and reintroduce them in future entries.
One source told Insider Gaming that microtransactions were planned to return in upcoming College Football single-player titles, fearing they could anger fans and push them away from a series trying to grow. While multiple College Football games are scheduled for the coming years, sources reportedly worry the franchise may be winding down.
“We’re not FC. We’re not Madden. We don’t make the money they do, and everyone knows it,” a source said. “But it’s at the point where if we don’t find a way to keep players around and, in turn, make more, we won’t have anything. Forget in 10 years, I’m scared about if we have a game by the end of the decade. Games aren’t getting cheaper to make, and there’s the real concern with all of us that EA’s going to streamline and just have a few key franchises and dump everything else.”
Insider Gaming noted that not all sources shared these fears, with some believing the franchise has a strong future. The College Football brand is a spiritual successor to EA Sports’ NCAA football series, which thrived in the 2000s and early 2010s before legal issues around NIL rights effectively ended it. A 14-year gap between NCAA’s final game and the new series’ debut fueled enormous fan enthusiasm.
This led to College Football 25 becoming the second best-selling game of 2024 in the United States, though it never sustained that momentum year-to-year. College Football 26 ranked as the seventh best-selling game in the US in 2025, with College Football 27 currently placed tenth this year. The series also lacks the global appeal of EA’s FC franchise, meaning its sales are concentrated primarily in the United States.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
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