EA Access: A Perfect Move

This. Is. Brilliant. Completely and utterly B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.

So in a move similar to Games For Gold for Xbox systems or PS Plus for Playstation platforms, or more accurately Playstaion Now, Electronic Arts have announced EA Access: a service which will not only allow paid subscribers to play a number of older EA licensed games, but promises to give early access to upcoming triple-A productions such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and Madden Fifteen. It even offers discounts.

Its hard to impossible to look at such an offer and not see it as a good deal. But then this is Electronic Arts we are talking about. Two time concurrent winner of the worst company in the United States Award. The publisher who ruined titles such as Dungeon Keeper, The Sims and Dead Space with micro-transactions and unnecessary, forced online conditions. This sounds like the literal Devil offering free kittens and candy from his van. There has to be something up.

But no. Put down twenty-nine, ninety-nine in legal U.S. tender - or credit - for one year, or four, ninety-nine for just one month and you are in. So it is really two dollars and fifty cents a month for access to a whole library of titles which will even include unreleased sure-fire hits. A fifty percent savings, since only a complete and total idiot would pay sixty dollars over the course of twelve months for something like this. So twelve, two-fifty payments early and likely recurring it is.

And for that money you get to play games like Madden Fourteen, Battlefield Four and Peggle Two. At least as a start with later titles introduced, or removed, at EA's discretion. The entirety of the content in the advertised vault could be a relatively small and rotating pool, will certainly be small as the service starts up on a console which itself isn't yet a year old, but then even an automatic library of games isn't really EA Access' main draw.

More than likely what will bring subscribers will be early access to the latest and upcoming iterations of FIFA, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The chance to play titles, unless fellow subscribers, five days before anyone else. With further options of continuing play where you left off if you decide to buy the game, while getting a discount on the title so long as its a digital download. The method the industry insists is the future as it makes it the future. Really, that's about the worst that can be said about what EA Access offers.

Really, nothing else can be said. Given that as a service exclusive to the Xbox One, the fanboy flag has been firmly planted.

Maybe the case could be presented that since early access to new titles is the service's main strength that demos, released once or maybe twice a year, are now officially a paid commodity, but such would only be dismissed or agreed with based on camp alignment. Likewise pointing out that the older games used to pad and hide such a deduction are wholly under the control and whim of Electronic Arts, who have only held the best interest of all gamers first. No title under their umbrella has ever been compromised because they strictly held to release dates which favored their stock price.

Which reminds me: wonder how long until Capcom, and others, copy this...

[Christopher]

It's a Trojan Horse concept for getting more people to buy digital. The 10% off is nothing compared to the fact that it's one less person who will be selling the game to GameStop or giving it to a friend.

Also, another user mentioned and I think it will definitely come to fruition, but it's yet another way to sell DLC. I definitely see EA giving certain DLC away for all of their games if you subscribe to the service. Yet another manner in which content will be withheld from other users, which means content created for the game is not available to every user. An issue we already have in retail stores, soon to be an issue here as well, IMHO.

Personally, I don't have to worry. I don't play sports games or buy BF/COD style games. And the 10% savings would require me to buy 5 EA games new each year. I don't see myself doing that.

I also question why this is XBO only and not available via the Origin service on PC...

[iamnsuperman]

I am with you on why this isn't on Origin. The one service EA wants to succeed in and yet their best more to stick it to steam isn't being used. I assume they are testing the waters with consoles before taking the fight to steam (then again I think origin has such a bad reputation amongst PC gamers that the service might not even make a dent)

[donthate]

It is obvious isn't it?

Most PC games are moving towards digital distribution sidestepping GameStop. How many PC games do you see sell used in store? Heck, how many do you see new?

Offering up old games for a small fee benefits EA by cutting out and lowering prices on used game sales. The fees goes directly to them, but as PC isn't a huge retail and trade based sales, the value is quickly diminished.

Origin doesn't have to get it, because there is little benefit to EA at this moment.

However, as the service evolves it might work out and the service might come to Origin.

[Ducky]

You mean EA is just going to do what they've already done with the Battlefield series: Pay an extra fee for the premium service where you get all the DLC two weeks early, which conveniently contains over-powered weapons that get patched a few weeks later.
So if you're a non-premium player, get prepared to get crushed into the ground, while regularly being reminded that you're a second-class citizen by getting moved down a server queue to give the spot to a premium player, or have the kill-cam show how blinged out your premium opponent was, or have battlelog remind you of the sweet premium life that you're missing out on.

Now we can hope to experience this in all of EA's games. I am very excite.

It's probably not on Origin because the idea seems to be to curtail used game sales. On PC, they're trying to get people to install Origin in the first place, thus the 'on the house' free games they give out every month or so.

[Darkstares]

EA makes more than sports games but everyone likes to treat the publisher as a red-headed stepchild. The fact is they are one of if not still the biggest publisher out there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Also 10% off of a $60 game is $6 off, more than what it would cost to subscribe for a month. I was wondering the same thing about Origin and I think it's because EA is not making PC games for many of their titles. I know NHL isn't.

I really don't know why people are getting upset about all of this other than those who may want to try it out but don't have an XB1. I see it as something along the lines of cablevision. We pay for premium channels we want, so why is it ill-advised when it comes to gaming? Nothing wrong with getting a 10% discount, trying games 5 days in advance for whatever timeframe (rumor has it it's a few hours only but still) and access to some games as much as we want. Try it for $5, no big deal but it seems to some it is.

[Christopher]

My comments are based on what they are offering right now. Yeah, EA does make other games, but right now they are offering games I have zero interest in and I won't say otherwise until they start offering games that I am interested in.

[Godmars290]

Its not the 10% off $60, its the 10% off DLC and micro - in game money - that you're going to have to deal with. Publishers want more than $60 for games, DLC along with limited editions has become on of EA's methods.

They're also no unopposed to removing content which either should have been or obviously effects a game's story offering it as DLC. At day-one of a game's release no less.

This also secures and promotes day-one sales and satisfies their stockholders even though it may not please customers.

But the worst thing is, in a reverse of what many want from cable companies, is that subscription services such as this will cause further division of services with games. If the likes of Activision Ubisoft and Capcom jump on this manipulation bandwagon, because you're not going to get access to as much of games as you want, but what they want to offer.

[Darkstares]

@cgoodno,

Obviously these games are just the beginning and of course they may not be for everyone. Peggle 2 is neither COD/BF style or a sports games, that's all I was referring to. In fact their portfolio is actually quite diverse, it's just that they are most famous for their sports games and shooting games. I imagine the games being offered will be cycled quite rapidly and $5 is quite low to try them for a month.

@Godmars290,

Which is why I say the consumer has to make a decision if those games they think are having DLC held back is still worth the purchase or not. That is a title by title thing for any game, not just EA titles.

How is offering services going to create a division if they still release new games as normal? I think you are getting ahead of yourself and thinking of PS+ where they might pull back on some of the games being offered. I really don't see that as a problem. PS Plus is still relatively new service and Sony has access to hundreds of games from many publishers. I doubt we will see too many services like EA Access except for the very large publishers like EA and Ubisoft. I see this as a complimentary offering because services like PS+ don't offer very many free games anyways. At least this way consumers have more choices. Again these will only apply to back-catalog titles, not new games. That's because they are very low risk so they can bundle them into a subscription model, like PS Now.

[Nicaragua]

It only seems like good value if you are really into EA games, are prepared to only buy those games digitally (which are usually higher priced than retail stores thus negating the discount), and find value in the vault games most of which will have the next annual sequel on the way.

So to me there isnt much value in it.

[Pillsbury1]

When it comes to anything EA: do not trust.

If it where up to them we would be using micro transactions to buy ammo clips and a new soccer ball.

NEVER TRUST EVIL.

[BillytheBarbarian]

Meh, seems way over priced and it will have old games. Games don't carry value like they did in the past. Most games get their prices slashed after 3-6 months then bargain bin. I only get digital releases during sales but I can see that the convenience is slowly killing the physical market even now.

I'd like to see the comparison between the sales of Titan fall Digital versus physical. It would be telling that the DRM issue is getting buried by convenience. Gears 3 was five bucks on Live recently and it's one game I play all the time. Switching back to it after a few hours of Fallout 3 without switching discs is great.

Also, besides the RROD, the biggest repairs made on 360s were disc drive replacements. This essentially kills the need for it.

Digital is here to stay.