EA Play
Developer | Electronic Arts |
---|---|
Type | Subscription gaming service |
Launch date | August 11, 2014 July 24, 2019 (PlayStation 4) | (Xbox One)
Platform(s) | Xbox One PlayStation 4 Steam |
Status | Active |
Pricing model | US$4.99 per month US$29.99 per year |
Website | Official website |
EA Play (formerly EA Access) is a subscription-based video game service from Electronic Arts for the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 platforms, offering access to selected games published by Electronic Arts along with additional incentives. A similar service, Origin Access, is available for Microsoft Windows PCs.[1]
As launched, EA Access was pitched to both Microsoft for the Xbox One and Sony for the PlayStation 4, although Sony initially declined to participate as they did not believe it provided value to their customers.[2] EA Access launched first on Xbox One on August 11, 2014, and later arrived to the PlayStation 4 on July 24, 2019.[3] Both EA Access and Origin were merged and rebranded to EA Play in August 2020.
Overview
EA Access membership can be purchased in one-month or 12-month increments, either from the Xbox Games Store or from selected third-party retailers.[4] Members have unlimited access to the full versions of a selection of games published by EA, dubbed "the Vault", for as long as their membership is active.[4] If membership is suspended, the games can no longer be played, but all progress and game saves are retained. Members may also purchase games available from EA Access outright, along with other EA games and DLC, at a discounted price.[4] EA Access does not require users to have a paid Xbox Live membership, although a Gold-level membership is required for use of any multiplayer features that are included in Access-enabled games.[5]
Games are added to the Vault at EA's discretion, such as making a title available on Access a set number of days after its retail launch.[6] Although the Terms of Service allow EA to remove titles with 30 days' notice,[6] EA has pledged that games will not be removed at a later date.[6] However, EA announced on July 20, 2017 that FIFA 14 would be removed from the Vault on October 18, 2017, due to the decision to end online support for the title.[7] The game will remain playable in offline mode for users who installed it prior to its removal date, but if the game is removed from the console after that date, it cannot be reinstalled.[8] EA described the removal of FIFA 14 as a "unique circumstance specific to the title" that was not representative of their future plans for EA Access.[8] On April 26, 2018, it was announced that Rory McIlroy PGA Tour would also be removed from the Vault on May 22, 2018, due to the game being delisted from the Xbox Store on that date.[9]
Users who pre-order upcoming games through Access are able download special limited versions of the games, released five days prior to the retail launch. EA described these early-release versions as not being more traditional demos, but instead full-featured but time-limited versions, with the exact extent of content varying from game to game.[10] Any progress earned within these limited versions will carry over to the full retail version.[4]
Games published on the EA Partners and/or EA Originals labels are not eligible for EA Access benefits.[11] However, Titanfall was added to the Vault in June 2015, as part of an E3 2015 promotion that also enabled a free trial for all Xbox One owners.[12] Titanfall 2 was also added to the vault in July 2017.
EA Access subscribers are able to receive downloadable content for games in the Vault free at during various limited time periods, such as the Naval Strike and Second Assault DLCs for Battlefield 4.[13] Subscribers who download the free DLCs offered during the free period are able to keep them regardless of subscription status. On May 3, 2016, Premium access for Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline were offered free for a limited period of time, enabling subscribers to download all released expansions for both games at no cost.[14] Although Battlefield 4 Premium content can only be accessed with an active subscription, subscribers were allowed to keep Hardline Premium features regardless of subscription status. The season pass for Star Wars Battlefront was made available at no cost for subscribers on July 7, 2017.[15]
On February 29, 2016, EA Access expanded to include Xbox 360 titles via the Xbox One's backward compatibility feature, starting with the original Plants vs. Zombies.[16] Dead Space was added (without any official announcement) on March 31.[17] On January 17, 2018, Black, released for Xbox in 2006, was added to the Vault.
EA announced that alongside bringing its catalog back to Steam in October 2019, that it would also release a version of EA Access for Steam users with a library comparable to the Xbox and PlayStation versions.[18] The first set of these games were added to Steam in June 2020.[19][20]
Ahead of the launch of EA Access on Steam in August 2020, EA announced the rebranding of EA Access and Origin Access to EA Play starting August 18, 2020 across both computer and console. The previous basic EA Access and Origin Access Basic subscription tiers would be treated as EA Play, while the Origin Access Premier would become EA Play Pro. No other changes to the service or prices were planned otherwise.[21]
Release and reception
EA Access debuted in beta form exclusively on Xbox One on July 29, 2014,[4] and was officially launched on August 11, 2014.[22] Electronic Arts approached both Sony and Microsoft with the service, but Sony declined to make it available on their PlayStation 4 console.[23] A similar version called Origin Access launched on January 12, 2016, on PC.[24]
Shares of video game retailer GameStop, which sells both new and used games, fell over five percent after Electronic Arts' announcement.[25] A similar price drop occurred after PlayStation Now was first announced and that the stock price subsequently recovered.[25] GameStop will be one of the retailers selling EA Access memberships.[25]
Games in the Vault
References
- ^ "Origin Access". Origin. Electronic Arts. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ Smith, Chris (June 28, 2019). "EA Access for Sony PS4 finally gets its release date". Trusted Reviews. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ Ramée, Jordan (May 7, 2019). "EA Access Coming To PS4 This July". GameSpot. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Lawler, Richard (July 29, 2014). "'EA Access' subscription on Xbox One brings all-you-can-eat gaming for $5 per month". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ Cavalli, Earnest (July 30, 2014). "EA unveils Xbox One subscription service, EA Access". Joystiq. AOL. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pereira, Chris (August 7, 2014). "EA Promises Not to Remove Games From EA Access' Free Games Vault". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "FIFA 14 will leave EA Access on October 18". ea.com. Electronic Arts. July 20, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Chris Pereira (August 2, 2017). "EA Access Vault Removing A Game For The First Time [UPDATE]". gamespot.com. CBS Interactive, Inc. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ https://www.ea.com/ea-access/news/rory-mcilroy-pga-tour-will-leave-ea-access-on-may-22
- ^ Sirani, Jordan (August 7, 2014). "New Details Emerge on EA Access' Game Selection and Trials". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ Earnest Cavalli (August 10, 2014). "EA unveils Xbox One subscription service, EA Access [update]". Joystiq. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ Kyle Hilliard (June 15, 2015). "Titanfall And Dragon Age Inquisition Joining EA Access Vault, Vault Opening To All Gold Members This Week". gameinformer.com. GameStop. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ Saed, Sherif (2015-08-28). "Battlefield 4 DLC Naval Strike free this week for EA Access members". VG247. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ https://www.ea.com/ea-access/landing-page/battlefield-4
- ^ https://www.ea.com/ea-access/news/swbf-dlc-in-the-vault
- ^ Saed, Sherif (2016-03-01). "EA Access adds first non-Xbox One game to the vault". VG247. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Williatham, Atle (2016-04-01). "EA Access adds Backwards Compatible Dead Space to Xbox One". Gamezone.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Gartenburg, Chaim (October 29, 2019). "EA games are returning to Steam along with the EA Access subscription service". The Verge. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Pereria, Chris (June 4, 2020). "EA Access Coming To Steam, More EA Games Release On The Store". GameSpot. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Hornshaw, Phil (June 18, 2020). "EA Adds More Games To Steam, Including Titanfall 2 And Dead Space 3". GameSpot. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (August 14, 2020). "EA Origin and Access rebrand to EA Play". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Eddie Makuch (August 11, 2014). "EA Access Now Available On Xbox One". gamespot.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- ^ Karmali, Luke (July 30, 2014). "Sony Passed on EA Access for PS4 as It's Not 'Good Value'". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ "PC Game Subscription | Origin Access | Origin Games". Origin.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ a b c Makuch, Eddie (July 29, 2014). "GameStop Shares Tumble After EA Access Announcement". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (May 22, 2019). "Can Alice save Wonderland, and herself? You decide" (Tweet). Retrieved May 22, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ S. Good, Owen (September 12, 2019). "Anthem now available in EA Access, Origin Access". Polygon. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c https://www.ea.com/ea-access/news/coming-soon-to-ea-access-october-2018
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (November 4, 2019). "The fantastic EA Originals title A Way Out by @HazelightGames is now available on #EAAccess across both platforms! https://ea.com/ea-access" (Tweet). Retrieved November 4, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (August 10, 2017). "Battlefield 1 now free to download from Origin and EA Access". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Vault Expands this Year with these EA Stalwarts". www.ea.com. Electronic Arts. January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ Russell, Bradley (May 24, 2018). "Battlefield 1943 Now Xbox One Backwards Compatible (and on EA Access)". Game Revolution. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ Billcliffe, James (December 21, 2017). "Original Battlefield: Bad Company added to EA Access vault games library". VG247. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Orry, James (September 23, 2015). "Battlefield Hardline to be added to the EA Access vault in October". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Dayus, Oscar (June 9, 2019). "E3 2019: Battlefield 5 Now Free On EA Access Vault". GameSpot. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "The EA Access Vault Expands this Year with Sports, Action and Arcade Titles". www.ea.com. Electronic Arts. October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (January 17, 2018). "Next Free Xbox One Game For EA Access Subscribers Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c https://twitter.com/eaaccess/status/1281341553680637953?lang=en
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (July 19, 2018). "Face your sins and travel through the Nine Circles of Hell, Dante's Inferno is now in the EA Access library" (Tweet). Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (April 1, 2016). "Xbox One EA Access Adds Second Backwards-Compatible Xbox 360 Game". GameSpot. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ Packard, Kelly (September 14, 2017). "Dead Space 2 Now in the EA Access Vault". TrueAchievements. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ R. Miller, Daniel (November 29, 2017). "Dead Space 3 is now playable on EA Access". GameZone. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Onder, Cade (April 10, 2017). "Dead Space Ignition & Dragon Age: Origins now available through EA Access". GameZone. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ a b https://www.ea.com/ea-access/games#xbox-one-only
- ^ a b Grant, Christopher (June 15, 2015). "EA Access Vault free this week, Titanfall and Dragon Age: Inquisition on the way". Polygon. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (August 16, 2018). "Speak the language of the forest and defeat the Silent Ones in Fe. Now in the EA Access library!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 16, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://www.ea.com/ea-access/news/fifa-14-will-leave-ea-access-on-october-18
- ^ Devore, Jordan (May 8, 2015). "FIFA 15 now included in EA Access". Destructoid. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ "FIFA 16 Coming Soon to The Vault". Easports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Dayus, Oscar (April 21, 2017). "New EA/Origin Access Game Out Now For Xbox One And PC". GameSpot. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ Noah, Steve (September 30, 2018). "FIFA 18 Available in The Vault For EA Access Subscribers". Operation Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ Nicholas, Heidi (July 26, 2019). "FIFA 19 Now in the EA access Vault". Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (May 12, 2020). "Hit the pitch with FIFA 20! Now available in the EA Access Vault!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Scammell, David (March 5, 2015). "Madden NFL 15 now free on EA Access". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ "Madden NFL 16 Comes To The Vault On Feb. 2". Ea.com. 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 24, 2017). "Madden 17 Is Now Free On Xbox One With EA Access". GameSpot. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ Donnellan, Jimmy (February 6, 2018). "Madden NFL 18 Joins The EA Access Vault". Cultured Vultures. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "New To EA Access March 2019". Electronic Arts. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (January 30, 2020). "Huddle up! @EAMaddenNFL 20 drops into #EAAccess today! Members also get an additional pack in February alongside their monthly reward, starting today! https://ea.com/subscribe/news/madden-nfl-20-is-in-the-vault" (Tweet). Retrieved January 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Grubb, Jeff (November 7, 2016). "Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 now work on Xbox One and are part of the EA Access vault". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (October 17, 2017). "Mass Effect: Andromeda Now Available For Free Through EA / Origin Access Vault". GameSpot. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ^ "EA Sports FIFA 17 to join EA Access and Origin Access". ea.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (November 2, 2016). "Mirror's Edge Catalyst Becomes an Xbox One EA Access Freebie Soon". GameSpot. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ a b Orry, James (November 4, 2016). "Mirror's Edge Catalyst and UFC 2 join EA Access next week". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ Futter, Mike (February 25, 2015). "PSA: NBA Live 15 Joins EA Access Vault". Game Informer. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ Sarkar, Samit (May 6, 2016). "NBA Live 16 coming to EA Access in late May". Polygon. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ Noah, Steve (February 15, 2018). "NBA Live 18 Available Now in The Vault, Free For EA Access Subscribers". Operation Sports. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Coming Soon to EA Access". www.ea.com. Electronic Arts. July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (June 16, 2020). "Need for Speed Heat is now available on EA Access!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 16, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Stephenson, Brad (June 7, 2018). "Need for Speed Payback joins EA Access on Xbox One". On MSFT. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ Campbell, Evan (September 2, 2014). "Need for Speed Rivals, More 6-Hour Trials, Coming to EA Access". IGN. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ Sirani, Jordan (April 9, 2015). "NHL 15 Added to EA Access Vault". IGN. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ^ "NHL 15 Leaves EA Access Today". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- ^ "NHL 16 Now Available in The Vault on EA Access". Easports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff (March 28, 2017). "NHL 17 hits EA Access vault just in time for the playoffs". VentureBeat. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ Noah, Steve (April 11, 2018). "NHL 18 Available Now in The Vault For EA Access Subscribers". Operation Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (April 10, 2019). "NHL 19 Is Now Free For EA Access Subscribers On Xbox One". GameSpot. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (April 29, 2020). "Hit the ice with #NHL20, now available in the EA Access Vault! http://ea.com/ea-access" (Tweet). Retrieved April 29, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Twitter". Mobile.twitter.com. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (October 15, 2015). "Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is now part of EA Access". Polygon. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (March 3, 2020). "Come on down to Neighborville! #PvZBfN enters the #EAAccess Vault today! As a bonus, members get the exclusive Animal Noseguard cosmetic for Acorn & 30k coins each month. http://x.ea.com/62698" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://www.trueachievements.com/n42683/rocket-arena-ea-access
- ^ S. Good, Owen (May 2, 2016). "EA Access adds golf to its lineup with Rory McIlroy PGA Tour". Polygon. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (May 14, 2018). "EA's Latest PS4 And Xbox One Golf Game Is Being Removed From Sale Soon". GameSpot. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (January 16, 2020). "Sea of Solitude swims into #EAAccess today! http://ea.com/subscribe/news/ea-access-origin-access-game-updates-january-2020" (Tweet). Retrieved January 16, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kerry, Ben (October 26, 2019). "Shadows of the Damned added to EA Access". Xbox Enthusiast. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 13, 2017). "Skate 3 Joins EA Access Library On Xbox One Today, It Seems". GameSpot. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ Pereria, Chris (August 10, 2016). "Xbox One's EA Access Adds Another Free Game to Its Vault Library". GameSpot. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ "Star Wars: Battlefront Goes Free With EA Access Next Week". GameSpot. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ Madan, Ashen (November 28, 2018). "Star Wars Battlefront II joins EA Access Vault". Windows Central. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (July 12, 2018). "Get out there and build Simmers! The Sims 4 is now live on EA Access" (Tweet). Retrieved July 12, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Sarkar, Samit (July 31, 2017). "Titanfall 2 goes free on EA and Origin Access". Polygon. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 12, 2014). "EA Sports UFC joins EA Access next week". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (November 2, 2018). "Get ready to enter The Octagon! UFC 3 is now on EA Access" (Tweet). Retrieved November 2, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Smith, Rebecca (January 18, 2019). "Unravel Two Joins EA Access Vault". TrueAchievements. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ EA Access [@EAAccess] (March 30, 2017). "Surprise, members! Zuma's Revenge is now available in The Vault!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 30, 2017 – via Twitter.