After an 11-year break, EA Sports is back with College Football 25 for this season. And the features include an additional emphasis on recreating the unique atmosphere, pageantry and entrances of college football’s best programs. But given the cost of licensing music (or more accurately, EA’s unwillingness to pay for it), this wasn’t feasible for every program.
In the case of Virginia Tech, however, EA Sports seemed to get as close to reality as was legally possible.
In May, it was reported that Metallica’s Enter Sandman would not be included in Virginia Tech’s iconic performance at Lane Stadium for the game. Instead, EA Sports would settle for a generic rock anthem. That *generic* anthem turned out to be almost indistinguishable from the actual song.
Listen:
Join Sandman in the new CFB25 game (no beta) pic.twitter.com/Tlp5sqb6tx
—Jackson Didlake (@diidlake) July 15, 2024
Sure, there are no vocals and the flow of the song is slightly different, but it’s so obvious that it’s meant to be a copy of Enter Sandman – almost to the point that Metallica might object.
Fans certainly appreciated that EA Sports tried to get as close to Enter Sandman as possible. Virginia Tech’s appearance had to be included in the game, and this version did it justice.
How Twitter/X reacted
If you play Enter Sandman and then click “Switch to Game” after 31 seconds, it syncs perfectly https://t.co/7MQZrYLzfE
— Kofie (@Kofie) July 16, 2024
i appreciate that they didn’t half-heartedly approach the legally independent Sandman track https://t.co/sgXozBKIAq
— Zack (@thefluxandflow) July 16, 2024
Sounds pretty close to that honestly https://t.co/nIhT6yuiuM
— Zac Kracht (@ZacKracht22) July 15, 2024
Hell. Yes. (they did their best) https://t.co/njFDFOX0Af
— BrianRobinsonSZN (@CommiesFan) July 15, 2024
This really sounds like Enter Sandman, lol. https://t.co/YegcArKk8O
— TitoMac (@TitoMacallan) July 14, 2024
I think they nailed it, honestly https://t.co/ia3WrPMYlI
— Cade Webb (@cadewebb) July 13, 2024
Works for me. https://t.co/4kb2ECNx7U
— Denzell (@Denzell_Of_NSH) July 13, 2024
That still sounds a bit like Metallica. I’ll take it ✅ https://t.co/bNuGxzxxZM
— Trash Can Hokies (@TrashCanHokies) July 13, 2024
Oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful #CFB25 https://t.co/j4EyVwxLHH
— Derrick Young (@MrCthulhuTTV) July 14, 2024
