The first concrete details for EA Sports College Football may have leaked online via reliable sources. Although there are numerous sports games, there are not many that hold such power in the industry like the NCAA Football franchise. The EA Sports series ran for a full 20 years prior to finishing with NCAA Football 14 on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013. The series finished after no shortage of controversy surrounding college players not being compensated for their likenesses in computer games and other products. Of course, this was a major issue given how well the series performed and athletes in other computer games like Madden are compensated accordingly. Nevertheless, keeping a change in guidelines that allows college players the ability to be compensated, EA has confirmed it’s bringing the franchise back and it may not be too long until we get to play it.

As reported by The Athletic – which corroborated reporting from Extra Points and 247Sports – , EA will reportedly release EA Sports College Football in July 2023 and may be available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The game is reportedly expected to be the most detailed college football game made and will be built on the Madden motor, allowing for plenty of next-gen detail. Although there are some things that are still being finalized, EA is aiming to remember school-specific music and traditions for a for every school basis and real players, though the latter is a lot of up in the air right at this point. According to the report, EA Sports College Football is not a reskin of Madden and will incorporate key NCAA franchise elements such as a transfer portal, Dynasty Mode, and Road to Magnificence. Things like mascot matches have yet to be determined, however.

As always, none of this has been confirmed by EA and if true, the game is still a full year away, meaning anything can change. A lot is riding on EA’s return to college football, however. A rushed cash grab won’t do the publisher any favor, especially as the yearly reception to Madden continues to spiral in the eyes of fans. 2K is also chipping away at its own new football game, which only increases the stakes. Whether or not EA’s return will be triumphant remains to be seen, but hopefully, we will hear more about it next spring.