EA launched its new College Football franchise into early access on 15 July 2024, debuting with over 1.2m daily active users (DAUs) across Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles, and reaching over 2.1m by its fourth playable day, according to Ampere Games – Analytics data. On launch day (19 July 2024), DAUs rose by over 30% and while growth slowed, the game did continue to see DAUs rise into its seventh playable day. On the seventh day, the title was the fourth most popular by DAUs across Xbox and PlayStation – beating the likes of Roblox, Grand Theft Auto V, and Minecraft.

Comparing College Football’s performance to EA’s most recent instalment to its other established American Football franchise, Madden NFL, College Football amassed over double the DAUs across every day in the seven days after launching into early access. College Football experienced a healthier rise in active users during the early access period, but Madden NFL 24 saw a greater increase from early access to launch day and in the days following its launch.

Will College Football overshadow Madden NFL?

Instalments to the Madden franchise tend to follow the same lifecycle, with monthly active users (MAUs) climbing from launch to a peak in the February following its release – in line with the NFL’s most popular league championship, the Super Bowl. After that usage declines steadily leading up to the next annual release, which then causes a second sharper decline as players switch over. 

College Football may follow a similar lifecycle, seeing a rise in usage during major tournaments, but will likely struggle to reach the same heights as Madden during this time as it does not feature the most popular leagues or athletes: 84% of American Football fans in the US enjoy the NFL, versus around 47% who enjoy College Football, according to Ampere Sports – Consumer data. Like Madden, the game will have limited international appeal: over 90% of gamers who play American Football games are based in the US. But while College Football may not outperform Madden in terms of total units sold, it was developed to complement the franchise more than compete. 

At the same time, EA Sports College Football 25 (CF25) and Madden NFL 25 are scheduled for release within a month or so of each other, with both costing a minimum of $69.99. Consumers may be less willing to pay for a new American Football title in such a short span of time, potentially leading to fewer fans upgrading to the latest annual instalment at launch, particularly as there is strong overlap between EA Sports College Football 25 (CF25) and Madden NFL 24 players: Over 90% of College Football (regular season) league fans also enjoy the NFL. During CF25’s launch week, average DAUs for Madden NFL 24 were 22% lower than the week prior, suggesting many players will have to choose where to allocate their time and money

Unprecedented demand from a dedicated fanbase – but will it grow?

EA reported that 2.2m unique users played EA Sports College Football 25 in its three-day early access period. Excluding EA Play, the only way to access it was by a pre-ordering a deluxe edition of the game, which cost a minimum of $99.99. This successful launch suggests that early players were among the most dedicated fans of the franchise. However, while the demand for Madden NFL is spread over the season, new user acquisition for CF25 may slow in comparison to initial uptake as the game seeks a significant audience beyond that dedicated fanbase.