EA Sports has nailed its pre-launch marketing strategy for College Football 25, and their sights and sounds deep dive was no different. The developers said their mantra was “Every team is someone’s favorite team,” and they continue to prove it.
EA Sports College Football 25 Shows Passion in Sights and Sounds Deep Dive
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit voiced the commentary for the deep dive video, adding to his hundreds of hours of commentary with Chris Fowler.
Just like on Saturdays, the deep dive began with runouts, showcasing unique traditions for several teams. Penn State’s mascot opens the gate for the players to run onto the gridiron. Florida players touch the Gator head in the locker room. Michigan’s squad jumps to touch the “Go Blue” banner on the field. If your favorite team has one, EA captured it.
The developers also used motion capture to up the ante, accurately depicting props and animations.
Some examples? EA built stairs to replicate Notre Dame’s tradition of tapping the “Play Like A Champion” sign. They also recreated Purdue’s rotating bass drum for their pregame show. And, of course, there will be all the turnover celebrations fans are used to seeing grace their TVs.
Mascots and Stadiums
Mascots are another aspect that distinguishes Saturdays from Sundays. College Football 25 will launch with 50 total mascots, including 40 team mascots and 10 real animals. EA talked to alumni and school contacts to get all the characteristics down, from the Stanford tree changing every year to Boomer and Sooner having the OU logo painted on their hooves.
As for the stadiums the mascots will reside in, the developers received reference materials for 80+ schools on top of the ones they were able to visit themselves. Additionally, EA plans to update stadiums post-launch to add new or correct architecture and designs.
Crowd Noise, Attendance, and Chants
According to EA, the company spent the last two seasons working with ESPN to capture crowd audio from their broadcasts, providing a basis for swells and reactions for every game. They captured crowd noise from 41 contests in different stadiums, including Georgia, Florida State, UCLA, Clemson, Oregon, LSU, and much more.
To further the authenticity, each crowd features band, visitor, and student sections, as well as unique props, such as Pom-Poms for Michigan and Tiger Tails for Missouri. And don’t worry about the fight songs — EA used a group of musicians to bring their essence to the game, using alumni from the likes of Oklahoma, North Texas, Vanderbilt, and USC to do so.
But wait, there’s more! College Football 25 will showcase dynamic attendance levels. If you play Dynasty with a struggling program, the season will begin with smaller crowds. However, as you win games, crowds will reach sell-out magnitude, increasing the home-field advantage Stadium Pulse Meter.
Last but not least, after positive plays, players can see fans showcasing Miami’s “U,” East Carolina’s “Finger Hook,” Oregon’s “O,” and plenty more.
The same goes for stadium-wide chants, and EA captured 220 of them. Minnesota’s “SKI U MAH! SKI U MAH! SKI U MAH!,” Kansas’ “ROCK CHALK!!! JAYHAWK!!!,” and Auburn’s “WARRRRRRRRR EAGLE! HEY!” are just a few of the recorded chants that will have players buzzing.
KEEP READING: Predicting the Top 10 Toughest Places To Play in College Football 25
Pageantry and tradition set college football apart from every other sport, and EA Sports is bringing it to the virtual gridiron in College Football 25.
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