EA College Football 25
Retail copies of EA College Football 25 are starting to hit shelves, with the embargo on most content lifting on Monday morning, and my grading review will be published on July 19th.
Something most people haven't seen yet is the TeamBuilder app, which is one of the least showcased features in the game yet is discussed.
Updated per EA — July 15, 2024
EA said the TeamBuilder app update will arrive on July 19th, but not before then. Essentially, the tool isn't ready yet, but EA plans to provide fans with an update at that point.
The first information I had came from a note I received with my review code, which appeared to indicate a release date, but it also indicated the earliest date that EA would provide any additional information about the tool.
Update End
This is disappointing for fans who were hoping to get early access to the custom creation tool, especially considering it's said to be even more layered than the tool we loved over a decade ago. As it stands, you'll have to wait to create your school collection designed to customize your college football experience.
Due to limitations on player editing, as detailed here, the TeamBuilder app may become even more popular than before, as it may become the only reliable means of customization for fans looking to further the sandbox experience.
Given the level of interest in the website, it's odd that EA didn't at least release a video of a developer demoing the TeamBuilder features. I saw some screenshots during a preview of the game back in May.
Enough information was shared to get me excited about this feature, especially as I remembered what it could do in previous versions, but it was really hard for me to find out almost anything about it, especially for users who are seriously interested in the feature.
The TeamBuilder app becomes important in Dynasty mode. College Football 25 allows for a 32-user Dynasty mode, with 16 of those teams being schools created in Teambuilder. Given the limitations on player editing and the Teambuilder school cap, the days of remaking an entire nation of players are over, at least for now.
One workaround I've thought of for people who want to edit every player in the country is to simulate at least four seasons ahead so that all NIL players (players who can't be edited) have graduated, at which point the user should have full control over editing every player in the country.
It's a pretty tedious workaround, but it's for those who crave the experience. Another issue with the team builder system is that you can't add schools midway through dynasty mode, so you have to know from the start which schools you want to add in your dynasty mode experience. None of these issues are game-breaking.
The game is a masterpiece, and it's possible that restrictions will be loosened in a few years as EA gets a better understanding of NIL transactions. For now, here are some things that fans who want to enjoy EA College Football 25 will have to accept.
