The sports gaming genre has pumped out quite a few iconic titles since EA got in on the action in the late 90s, from the now erstwhile FIFA 14, which offered a balanced career mode and traditional soccer gaming experience, to the Madden NFL editions of the early 2000s. It's been a long time since EA Sports' bumper franchises had an edition that was considered a hit, however, with fans complaining of a consistent decline in quality and innovation in new-gen titles. College Football 25 came to the rescue earlier in the year, returning from a decade-long hiatus and proving the developer could still make magic in the sporting genre. After such a marquee performance in College Football 25, replicating the winning formula in CFB 26 might already be a bridge too far for several reasons.
When the NCAA sporting experience disappeared from gaming options back in 2014, few would have anticipated the absence lasting nearly ten years. Basketball's varsity franchise, NCAA Basketball, had its last iteration hit the streets in 2010, and a bitter debate over licensing rights meant that NCAA Football would follow college hoops into the gaming abyss just four years later. However, such a long wait for the next college sporting game might have been a blessing in disguise for EA Sports. The novelty and nostalgia factors undeniably played a role in College Football 25's popularity, earning well over 200 million dollars within the first three days of release. CFB 26 will be looking to garner similar levels of support, but the realities of sports gaming make it an uphill climb for the developer.
EA Sports May Have Set the Bar Too High for College Football 26
While it may be unfair to brand College Football 25's commercial success as a product of the shiny toy phenomenon, it indisputably held some sway in fan reaction to the title. Fan appeals to restore the franchise had been registered since NCAA Football 14 pulled the curtains on the college scene, so it was never in doubt that a return would enjoy significant support. Riding on the wave of nostalgia, College Football 25 didn't have to do much more than provide a bug-free experience of a journey toward lifting the Heisman Trophy to be considered a success.
The title outstripped its relatively low expectations by quite some distance, revamping the varsity football experience with its Road to Glory and Dynasty modes that challenged players with taking a first-year student or a lowly-rated program to superstardom. EA Sports pulled out almost every stop it could in College Football 25, and while it paid dividends, the developer has inadvertently made the heights practically unscalable for CFB 26.
College Football 16 Won't Have the Advantage CFB 25 Did
Firstly, the novelty factor that drove much of College Football 25's hype will almost definitely have worn off by the time the next game rolls around. As the franchise returns to its yearly release calendar, it's not far-fetched to see expectations changing from fans being happy solely to experience the magic of college football gaming again to nitpicking over feature progression. That's what has happened to nearly every sports title, from NBA 2K to the now-rebranded EA FC — they have gained the negative perception of being the same game under a fancy new wrapper each year.
If CFB 26 doesn't have enough unique features or tangible improvements on this year's edition, it risks falling into the same trap of "physics enhancements" that hardly change the overall experience. Beyond waning excitement, there's also the question of how EA Sports intends to better College Football 25's many components. For instance, at launch, making a field goal was one of the most mechanically bugged plays in the game. Missing the target entirely was a common experience for players, and such a dynamic recurring in CFB 26 would not be regarded kindly. With College Football 25 setting the bar so high, it's hard to see CFB 26 filling its big shoes, so EA Sports will have a battle on its hands to avoid the franchise becoming trite in the future.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- July 19, 2024
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Alcohol Reference
- Developer(s)
- EA Orlando
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Engine
- frostbite
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- EA Sports College Football
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Sports
