More than 3 years ago Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA) announced that its EA Sports College Football series would return.

And consumers waited...and waited...

This past Monday, early access to College Football 25 (the first game in the series since 2013) dropped, bringing over 600,000 players online in mere hours.

Impressive -- and the stat didn't include those playing offline or single-player game modes.

With the full launch of the game on Friday, this weekend is bound to reach even higher player count levels.

Early access is also only granted to those who preordered the deluxe version of the game, which bears a $99.99 price tag. Those who opted for the standard version, which costs $69.99, will not be able to play until the full launch Friday.

Consumer happiness levels (near 72% positive) show consumers are estatic to make the purchase.