Full Sail Stories

Full Sail University is proud to serve as the official home of EA SPORTS’ Madden NFL 25 Championship Series. The series launched in early September with the MCS 25 Kickoff Classic and Kickoff Challenge, which was broadcast live from Full Sail University’s Orlando Health Fortress.

The Kickoff Challenge, a two-day LAN event on Full Sail’s campus, invited spectators to watch eight of the world’s top Madden NFL 25 players compete for $150,000 in prizing, just a fraction of this season’s $1.7 million prize pool.

“We’re super excited to share our esports program with Full Sail,” said Monica Dinsmore, Senior Director of Esports & Ventures Brand with Electronic Arts. “Esports at EA is such an important pillar of community, it’s such an important pillar of engagement, and what better way to showcase that than with the best of the best Madden players battling it out for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of prize money, month over month, here at Full Sail.”

Utilizing Full Sail's esports venue, the team at EA produced a large-scale event for spectators in the Fortress and thousands of viewers online, while looking forward to continuing the trend throughout the season.

MCS 25 competitors “Astro” and “Prodigy” compete on stage in the Fortress.

"Full Sail University is the perfect home for the upcoming MCS 25 season," said Andrew Echanique, Director of NA Football Esports at Electronic Arts. "Not only does the Fortress provide unique technical capabilities for our production team but [it] also offers invaluable educational opportunities for students to create memorable experiences for our players and fans. We look forward to an incredible season of Madden competition.”

Fans in attendance enjoyed the full tailgate experience, complete with food trucks, football-themed games, and opportunities to walk away with their own copy of Madden 25.

Armada students Henry White, Brian Day, Brittanny MacCleod, Najee Dyson, and Raven Marlow gained experience in event production during the Kickoff Challenge, working with the team at EA as brand ambassadors, shadowing EA’s event crew, and providing an engaging experience for fans outside.

Kickoff Challenge winner “Fancy” celebrating on stage while holding up the championship belt.

"This partnership brings one of the most popular video game developers and publishers to our campus, providing amazing opportunities to show off the Fortress and [providing] our students with an up-close-and-personal shadowing experience,” said Full Sail Director of Esports Business Strategy, Jacob Kaplan. “We have numerous grads contributing to the creation of Madden 25, and to bring that game back ‘home’ is something that we take great pride in.”

More than 80 Full Sail graduates contributed to the development of Madden NFL 25, making it all the more rewarding for the Full Sail community.

“Full Sail has had a long-lasting and fantastic relationship with Electronic Arts, and for us to be here today announcing another chapter is just amazing,” shared Full Sail President Garry Jones.

Upcoming streaming events, including October’s Most Feared Challenge, will be streamed from Full Sail’s campus, while fans will get another chance to attend in person this January during the MCS 25 Playoffs.

Viewers can catch all the MCS 25 action on Twitch and YouTube.