Electronic Arts has removed microtransactions from EA Sports College Football 27 after facing criticism from players and content creators over paid progression options in the game's single-player modes.
Related coverage: Ubisoft Drops Its Claim That Microtransactions Make Games More Fun.
The developer acknowledged it had "missed the mark with the introduction of paid progression options" in its Road to Glory and Dynasty modes, which had previously used experience modifiers to let players level up faster. This year, those were replaced with purchasable currency packs ranging from $9.99 to $149.99.
Content creators pointed out that the microtransactions were not disclosed before launch and were absent from preview builds provided to media, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. The College Football 27 store page on Steam does list in-app purchases among its features, but the specific progression currency was not highlighted in pre-release coverage.
"This was added independent of deeper mode progression with the aim to give players more choice, but what you've said is that they're not adding the value we intended," EA said in a statement.
The College Football series returned in 2024 after more than a decade-long hiatus, and its annual release cycle has quickly become a major EA Sports property. College Football 27 launched on July 9, 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, developed by EA Tiburon. The game is also part of the MVP Bundle alongside Madden NFL 27.
Player response on Steam has been notably negative, with the game sitting at a "Mostly Negative" review rating based on over 1,100 user reviews. While some of that dissatisfaction stems from the now-removed monetization, other reviews cite technical issues and the game's use of kernel-level anti-cheat software.
The microtransactions controversy echoes similar pushback EA has faced in its other sports franchises. Madden NFL's Ultimate Team mode has long been a source of debate around paid card packs and progression systems, though those remain in place. What made the College Football 27 situation distinct is that the paid progression was introduced into single-player career modes, where players historically expected an uninterrupted experience after buying the full-priced $69.99 game.
College Football Points, the in-game currency at the center of the backlash, were sold in bundles including a $99.99 option for 12,000 points and a $149.99 option for 20,000 points. These could be spent on cosmetic items, booster packs, and progression accelerators within Road to Glory and Dynasty. Players who invested in those currencies are now left with unusable balances in those modes, though EA has not confirmed whether the points can be redirected to other parts of the game.
Looking ahead, EA said its "goal for live service plans in College Football 28 and beyond will be to deliver valuable features and content with greater transparency and communication." The wording suggests the company intends to rebuild trust with the community before next year's entry, potentially by redesigning how progression and monetization interact in career modes.
The reversal follows a broader pattern in the sports gaming space, where premium-priced titles face growing scrutiny over additional monetization layers. EA's willingness to pull the feature within days of launch suggests the feedback was substantial enough to override the short-term revenue those microtransactions would have generated. Whether this represents a genuine shift in EA's approach to live service monetization or a one-off concession will become clearer when details for College Football 28 emerge.
