EA Announces Subscription Games Service w/Video of the application

Electronic Arts today announced EA Access, an exclusive gaming subscription service. The beta for this service is scheduled to launch “this summer” for the Xbox Live users on the Xbox One only. $4,99 per month or $29.99 per year gives a users unlimited access to the Vault, EA’s repository of previously released titles...

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Ok the most controversial service in the world......opinions anyone.

[DanTheRobot]

I personally have no issue with it. If you get a few games a year it pays itself off plus you get access to other games. It's providing an option to consumer. And it's far more cost effective than Playstation Now.

[Starks]

Implying that it's actually rational to compare a subscription service to a rental service.

[its_JEFF]

Or a services that are still in beta version.... wait till they're both out before passing judgement, both services could change in dramatic ways before it's released. So what if PS Now turned into a $5 a month sub as well?

It's like the people who were reviewing the Destiny Beta like it was the final release version... Give them. chance before you start to bad mouth it.

[donthate]

@Stark

They are both services that in the end provide customers with access to games.

So a consumer would naturally compare the two despite them having different advantages.

Consumers will vote with their wallet!

@its_JEFF

A service in beta is almost a final product. There won't be major changes, and well we can also re-compare the services when there is NEW information.

In the meanwhile....

[4Sh0w]

its_Jeff sure it was Beta pricing which could change but usually you pay less in Betas because it's technically a inferior service/product compared to the full release. I'm sure sony will adjust to more consumer friendly pricing due to the bad feedback but seriously why not start with a more reasonable price structure from the start for a new service you're trying to get off the ground?

As for all the "my service is better than yours" , jeesh can we all just wait until their out, then try to enjoy them? (that's not directed at you Jeff)

[ramiuk1]

most annoying video ever,has he ever even held a xbone pad?

on another note ufc still being over $53 isnt great with no resale.
most of EA games are yearly games and i play the newer title so wouldnt be anything for me.
so $30 a year to play old fifa,nba,bf and peggle,then a few dollars of a EA game which has no trade in or resale value.

i doenst seem a ver good deal to me.

[mrpsychoticstalker]

Two words to explain it:

GREAT DEAL!

[DanTheRobot]

It can be, yes. Depends on the individual gamers play style I suppose.

[WeAreLegion]

This is where everyone who thought it was a good deal starts to question it. If mrpsychoticstalker likes it, something's up.

[700p]

It is definitely a great deal!

[Insomnia_84]

If this is a great deal, how much would you pay for a service that offers hundreds of games from more than 50 publishers? If this is a great deal for $30 a year for games that are basically the same year after year(Fifa, Madden, etc) what would be a great deal for a service with games from over 50 publishers? Think 😉👈

[n4rc]

Just for the sake of argument.. Who said 50 publishers? And who are the other 40 that I can't think of? Lol

I'm joking and serious at the same time.. I honestly can't name more then 10 or so publishers.

[mixolydian_id]

Hmmm... Im a bit speculative.

I like that it looks really easy to access and functions like a fluid application.

It wasn't clear about what games were in the vault though and what games had to be purchased... there was also no timeline on how long games would be available for.

If EA Access is essentially a direct link to a personal marketplace... then thats not cool.

Lack of information here will be a problem as the customer should know exactly what is available to them at the present time (prioritised), not what services the app provides at a cost.

[kahjah]

I'm excited to see if they can dig into their back catalogue. This would be a weird funky way to bust out some kind of backward compatibility. GIVE ME EA BIG!!

[DanTheRobot]

I mean right now it looks like X1 games only... but... What if they could do Mass Effect?

[n4rc]

I'm all for it..

Dont get me wrong.. Dont buy it based on assumptions.. You get 10% off digital ea games plus early access.. If you buy 5 ea games a year you're pretty well covered

But let's face it... The vault is the big seller... If you even see one game you'd like, then how can you go wrong?

I'm personally waiting for different games.. I'd try FIFA, peggle and madden for $30 but can't be bothered really.. May end up doing it anyways since its a great deal

I'd bet the next game is NFS rivals.. And I'd probably sign up then for sure

[WeAreLegion]

I don't think this vault is what everyone thinks it is.

[n4rc]

And what is that?

Its a collection of games you can download and play.. It will change up from time to time.. They won't be brand new titles

What part are people missing?

And other guy.. I don't know about where you live, but prices are the same.. Fifa and madden etc are all $59.99.. Digital or retail.. When new anyways.. Think they are $30 now

[mixolydian_id]

I know what you mean... sounds great on paper but I'm concerned about "the vault".

I understand its in EA's interests to pool all content together, but judging by the video, there was next to now clarity on what was subscribed (vault content), and what was simply a marketplace extension for a full game purchase.

I hope it's not 'too good to be true'

I understand that newer games will be shown... available for full purchase price... then they will drop it in as a free download, before reverting back to standard retail price.

Perhaps it is more rental based, all games are purchasable in their own right.. two games are in the vault... they can be played for a month... then they remove them and everyone has to uninstall the game?

35GB uninstalling... could prove to be a pain in the arse on a monthly basis?

[WeAreLegion]

It's a collection that, like you said, will be changed up. You can no longer play those games once they leave the vault. With Plus, you get to continue playing the games. Everyone is ignoring this fact.

[Nicaragua]

But digital EA games are stupidly priced so that discount probably wont even get them on par with store prices - is that really worth paying for?

[WeaseL]

Anyone with business sense knows when you start a service you offer great value out the gate then water it down over time.

I'll wait 12 months before commenting on if they offer great value.

[Ryan741]

Seems a great service for sure, can't go wrong with that price.

[Nicaragua]

It honestly doesnt sound that great to me - 60 bucks a year to play old EA games that are already going on sale and a 10 percent discount on new EA games ?

I can only imagine that the 10 percent discount is gonna be for digital games which EA already way overprices compared to retail, so in order for this thing to break even then you are gonna have to buy a lot of EA games every year - and even then i doubt you would get the same value if you had just gone into a store.

And the vault titles are old games. If i wanted those games i would have already bought them.

For example battlefield 4 is now 30 bucks in the psn store and that would be mine to keep, or i can pay 60 bucks a year to loan it for the term of my subscription - this is not a good deal, at least for me.

If you play pure EA games and buy every new EA release then you might get your moneys worth but the average gamer would be better off spending their money elsewhere.

[Dudebro90]

A year is $30, not $60.

[Nicaragua]

The EA access official site lists it as 4.99 per month, thats 60 per year

http://www.ea.com/eaaccess/

There is only one price shown and it is the norm to advertise the lowest possible price, so if EA says its 5 bucks per month then thats what it is.

[Breakline]

@Nicaragua - There are two pricing options; you can pay for a year up front for $30, or month by month for $4.99 a month. I've seen a lot of people make this mistake so it's understandable.
For further evidence: http://www.engadget.com/201...
It's in the first paragraph.

[Nicaragua]

Again, thats not what EA themselves are saying. Maybe you are right but yours is a third party source, if its true then why did EA not mention this on their site and instead advertise it at its highest possible price ?

This is EA, the kings of shafting consumers - people should not assume they are going to get a good deal.

[mixolydian_id]

The discount system is bogus on PSnow and the potential EAaccess systems.

Paying for discount is contradictory.

I think it's the game "rental" service people are more interested in

[Pinkdolphinyfg]

I think it pays for itself imo. I was gonna buy Bf4 individually to play with my friends which is like 40$ right now so that would pay for the year service and that would net me 3 other games and that number is only going to grow. You would be a fool to buy any of these games individually instead of just buying EA Access.

[ltachiUchiha]

The problem with this service for me is that this is an extra $30 on top of another subscription & its only for EA games which i dont really dont care for alot of ea games besides BF & Madden but im not much of a huge fan of their games. For those who enjoy EA games I guess they will be happy. I would rather have had a service like this from Ubisoft or Sega. None the less those who own an XB1 who enjoy EA games will enjoy this the most.

[Dudebro90]

What other subscription?

[ltachiUchiha]

Well if u have xbl gold membership & want this it would be an extra $30 on top of xbl, same would be for psn if it were on ps4/ps3/vita.

[Dudebro90]

Gold not required.

[AstroCyborg]

whys it called the vault when theres x1 games missing like titanfall & garden warfare

[Volkama]

You can put as much or as little as you want in a vault.

It's like the mystery prize on a 90s quiz show. Could be a speed boat, or it might be a soda stream. Except we know what's in the vault right now, so it isn't as exciting as all that.

[AstroCyborg]

lets be honest ea left those games out because the sales would drop