42 FIEAns Credited in EA SPORTS College Football 25

August 7, 2024

EA SPORTS College Football 25 Screenshot of National Championship trophy on a football field with confetti falling all around.

EA SPORTS College Football 25 was released worldwide on July 19 with a total of 42 FIEA alumni credited in the game.

Developed primarily at EA Tiburon (Orlando) across from UCF Downtown at Creative Village, alumni credited include talented graduates from 16 different cohorts. FIEA’s alumni network includes 1,001 graduates as of December 2023, and Electronic Arts (EA) employs 11 percent of them.

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Created out of the need for producing skilled talent for the entertainment industry’s high-wage jobs, FIEA has had strong ties with EA since its inception in 2005. FIEA Executive Director Ben Noel worked with industry leader EA, the Florida governor, the local economic development commission, and the University of Central Florida to provide funding for the creation of the graduate-level game development program. Almost 20 years later, FIEA is now ranked the No. 1 graduate-level game design program in the world by Princeton Review.

Many FIEA faculty and staff have EA game credits in their resumes, including Production Director Rick Hall, 3D Art Instructor Nick Zuccarello, Technical Director Jeremy Paulding, Network and Facilities Manager John Rotolo, and Technical Art Instructor Chris Roda. Paulding and Roda worked on the title before it was shelved in 2013.

Fans waited 11 years for the 2024 release of the title, which arrives after a groundbreaking NIL deal, giving EA the ability to include thousands of current college football athletes in a college football game for the first time.

EA SPORTS College Football 25 has already been immensely successful with strong positive reviews and reports of passing $500 million in sales just a few weeks into its return. Before the worldwide release on July 19, there were already 2.2 million unique players enjoying the game during Early Access on July 16, and 600,000 playing via the EA Play trial, according to an EA press release.

Users can play as the UCF Knights, complete with a rocket launch above the Bounce House.

Related News in Orlando Sentinel: College Football 25 game, made in Orlando, drops this week