You don’t need Xbox Gold for EA Access unless you play online

EA has some good news for you regarding EA Access: no double subscription on Xbox One unless you want to blast people online in Battlefield 4.

[user7402931]

I wonder how many people are going to play battlefield 4 for the offline -_- smfh EA knew this. And that ladies and gentlemen is your "catch"

[WilliamUsher]

Technically, it's better than what I thought.

I had imagined that the entire thing would have required an Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Still, like you mentioned, EA knew that a game like Battlefield 4 would be useless without its online component.

[BiggCMan]

This is pretty expected honestly. It's not really EA's problem, it's just that multiplayer on Xbox Live requires Gold no matter what. PS4 as well, but I guess it won't be on PS4.

Either way, I don't like what EA is doing with this. Because now EVERY major company is going to do the same exact thing and it's not as valuable as people believe.

Let me put this in simple terms then. Would everyone be happy with Netflix if all it provided was Steven Spielburg movies?

This is basically what EA Access is, and I don't agree with it.

I also believe it will open the floodgates for more frequent DLC at higher prices since people are getting the base games for much cheaper.

[Dudebro90]

Comparing movies to gaming is pointless. Two very different markets with very different strategies.

[ABizzel1]

Then there's little to no reason for Sony to not allow it, as it basically treats games as F2P (excluding the subscription). If anything include it after he service improves it's "Vault collection"

The main question I should ask is once the Vault collection changes do you no longer have access to those games, or as long as you have them downloaded you get to keep them (like PS+ games).

Oh and congrats to MS and EA for trying something different, although I'm not a fan of the service just yet since it needs some big improvements, specifically a much larger catalog of Vault games (PS460Wii games would make it worthwhile).

[GiggMan]

I think MS should have included this with Gold. They could have just gave exclusive rights to EA games and beefed up their already existing Games With Gold program.

Imagine just having to pay for Gold and get EA exclusive content without having to pay another sub. It would've made PS+ seem less of a value.

Also why no 360 support? MS will drop a console in a heartbeat...

[4Sh0w]

@DirtyPimp
lmfao a "catch"
Uhm where have you been?..of course you have to pay for xbl to play online, just like ps4, EA has no say in that as it's been standard policy since 360. Stop the fanboyism iis making you sound drunk. The good news here is that if you don't already pay for xbl then this is not behind a paywall like in the past. I personally don't think it affects that many X1 owners but still a nice choice by micro/EA.

@GiggMan
Are you kidding me, microsoft is rich but they aren't going to foot the bill and give you "Exclusive rights" and all of EA "exclusive content" for free. Your logic amounts to saying "imagine having to just pay for psn and getting all of sonys games and exclusive content for free". You sound like a dreamer wishing everything was free. These are business's, they sometimes offer deals to spur sales growth/extra revenue/goodwill but they can't be expected to stay in business if they run it like a charity.

[GiggMan]

@4show

You are not getting all EA content for free. Who said that? You are getting some old EA games for free while you are subscribed.

It's not that much different than PS+.

Full game trials, access to older game, and discounts. What's the difference? you get all this with just your PS+ subscription.

What's wrong with wanting more for your money? I also think that Sony should incorporate PS Now into their subscription service also. The less subs the better. Nothing wrong with that and only a fanboy would want to spend more money than they have to.

[dcbronco]

I'm not sure how anyone but a fanboy can't see the value in this if you don't already own these games. It also includes all of the DLC. That alone is a huge savings. For BF4 it's like getting a limited edition for $30s. Along with all of the other titles. And according to EA, there are no current plans to eventually remove anything from the vault. If you normally buy FIFA or BF, this is a great deal. It means everything else is free. And it gets better as the years go on.

[thorstein]

So, now you pay %80 a year to play Battlefield? Do you at least get DLC with that?

[Lawboy2]

How is that a catch...u dont need xbox live for alot of things but who would have an xbox one without xbox live when most games on the system requires online...such as

Titanfall
Destiny
Plants v zombies

[Ghost_Nappa]

3 games is not "most" of the x1 library.

[Bonkerz]

LMAO how is that a "Catch" you clown? This is actually damn good news, since everyone always says "paywall" this is giving you the oppurtunity to use this pretty cheap service even if you arent gold. Also why are you acting as if this only gives you Battlefield? Yea, what a dumb comment by you...

[Ghost_Nappa]

The catch is that you need Xbox Live Gold to to play multiplayer on Xbox Live? Shocking.

[SliceOfTruth888]

good lord you are stupid

[nicksetzer1]

LOL the spin in you guys is hilarious. You do realize you need XBL gold or PSN to play the online components of the retail copy of these games as well right?

[Godz Kastro]

Dirty,

That's a really silly comment. Everyone is paying for online now including PS owners. This is on top of... What? Do you think PS now is going to be free with your PS+ subscription? Come on man...stop

[gamerfan0909]

You can't play any game online without PS+ or XBL Gold. I don't see your point.

[UnHoly_One]

And as of right now (1 hour after he posted this), this utterly moronic comment has 14 agrees.

So there are at minimum 15 people on N4G just in the past hour that are this stupid.

That's impressive.

[truefan1]

Man you are just reaching, but you still have nothing. I know you couldn't wait to say paywall paywall paywell, but Phil Spencer wasn't going to give you the ammo. There are zero negatives to EA Access no matter how hard you try to make up stuff. It's fairly priced and optional.

AS perfectly stated by I3eyond the CIRCLE below DX12 could be huge if it allows older EA games created for PC to be ported to XB1 easily to increase the EA Access catalog. Mass Effect collection, Battlefront, and Mirrors Edge would be a great start.

[stiggs]

@DirtytPimp

You're a GENIUS! You uncovered the deep seated conspiracy that EA has perpetrated upon the naive gaming public. How did decipher such a convoluted and heinous scheme?

BTW, this is sarcasm (just in case you haven't figured that out).

I love how he though that his statement was so revelatory and clever.

[Xb1ps4]

I wonder how many ppl that have a ps4 and or a xb1 don't have there online service?

[vork77]

i would play battlefield 4 offline

[MeliMel]

Wheres the catch. Get that mumbo jumbo crap outta here.

[DJStotty]

at the end of the day if you dont agree with EA Access. Very simple, dont pay for it. Just buy the games you want. This is just another option for gamers. Options are always good and should not be grumbled at. Imagine if game developers/manufacturers gave you no options whatsoever???

[Grown Folks Talk]

I am. Haven't played a minute of multiplayer, & won't. Only mp I play in shooters is co-op campaign.

[BallsEye]

Silly argument. When you buy a retail, boxed game on ps4 or xbox one you can't play online unless you have PS+ or XBLG. How is that any different? EA access is a great value that will keep on growing. I hate the early access to betas/demos/etc but I do love the ever growing library in the vault. 30 bucks A YEAR? That's how much I spend on a lunch everyday at work, here in Europe.

[Ps4marksthespotnotX]

If this was ps4 and not xbox one that had decided to do this deal it would be bad according to you spin doctor.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

The always online option EA you sneaky snakes.

[hardeepmeghera]

Preach sasuke preach!

[no_more_heroes]

So its really only great for single player games then.

[gamer1138]

Only in the context of not wanting to pay for xbox live gold. If you're happy to pay for xbl gold then you're still getting a good deal.

[no_more_heroes]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Not saying that its bad with the two of them, but was just saying that its only dirt cheap for single player games, or at least games you don't play online.

[Rocky5]

Well it's still dirt cheap, £19.99 for a £45 game & all its DLC, I spent £90 on BF4 & premium & I always have Gold so it's really only £19.99 in my eyes, since I buy live every 3 years. (I buy in bulk when I find 12 month + 1 month for £26 quid)

[Gh05t]

No I already have gold so I can play online in other games... this is just another option to run along side gold. Its not like gold somehow costs me more because of this. I was already paying for gold and now I might pay for this... one is not directly related to the other.

Now if you don't have gold right now anyways then again it doesn't mean squat because even if you bought BF4/madden/fifa separately you still wouldn't be able to play multiplayer without gold.

This is just being consistent. If you want to play a game multiplayer you need to have gold.

This at least allows you the option of playing some games cheaply. Although without more games, I want to play, I'm not in on this yet.

[Godmars290]

And since more EA games have or are based around an online component...

[Zichu]

It's just giving people options, it allows people who don't play games online that ability to play single player games. It benefits everyone that sees the value in this service, Gold or not Gold.

[Godmars290]

What are major, $60, EA games that are single player only?

[Team_Litt]

Lol now you are just reaching. Darkride was bitchin that MS are at fault for adding a $30 to their $60 Gold service even though this isn't even their program. Now we find out that Gold isn't even a requirement and you wanna try and m downplay this as well. D minus! Online or not, Fifa 14, Madden 25, Peggle 2 and BF4 for a whole month for $5 is a bargain. Some other publishers want to charge you that for ONE game for a few days but let's not go there.
Mass Effect
Mirrors Edge
Dragon Age
Dead Space
Those games are single player focused. You can play those games without once needing to play the online multiplayer.
Fifa and Madden also have an offline multiplayer, a feature I use all the time on Fifa with my mates. I have yet to play a single game online.

[gamer1138]

Interesting...good move MS/EA.

[wynams]

and who plays sports games online

/boggle

[Dudebro90]

I play sports game and never play online. So...

[Clogmaster]

Then how are you a dudebro!! :D

[SideNote]

Still, its an amazing offer. I wonder what else EA and Microsoft have in the pipeline.

[barb_wire]

More DRM, the end of retail console copies of games, paid demo's. It won't stay $5. Those of you with ISP caps are SOOL. You won't actually own your games.

If this is the future, screw it, I'll stick with my PS3/360/Wii and older consoles.

[DragonbornZ]

Calm down.
Getting a Lil ahead of yourself there.

[SpideySpeakz]

An amazing offer? Sorry, I don't consider 2-3 games a year for $30 for 5 day access an 'amazing' offer. EA services will always undermine the consumer.. Steam is the king of amazing offers, with ZERO subscription models at that.

[mhunterjr]

And somehow people will find a way to complain about this...

[thrust]

Not people ps fanboys!

[Mr_Writer85]

Ahhhh Thrust the MS fanboy who makes things up can't read, and has to block people who prove him wrong ;)

[PrinterMan]

PC Gamer here and I will complain about it. Why Xbox 1 only? Thanks EA for ignoring a LARGE part of your market.

MS and EA tag teaming the Xbox consumer and nickle and diming them to death. What a load of whoeee!

[mhunterjr]

Wait, so on one hand you want this service on the PC, but on the other hand, you think it's a nickel and dime scheme...

Which is it?

[HacSawJimThugin]

It's okay...I bought plenty of cheese for all of the wine in here.

[MegaRay]

They already are. look the comments before yours

[jadephoenix]

Who is playing Xbox without Gold anyway? Even while serving in Iraq i kept my Gold account and had internet access....lol and thats with speeds so low it took 30 min to watch a 2 min youtube vid...

My point being is that PS4 and XOne are now pay to play multiplayer....there are way more blatant rip-offs in the world than paying $5 a month for (decent) if not great services. I'm looking at you T-Moble, Bright house, Disney....etc.

Companies need to make a profit....as a small business owner I'd love to sell at cost for my customers but I have bills too....

[Funky Town_TX]

People that don't play online don't need to get gold. I know people that only play SP games and local MP on their games.

[Gh05t]

Then they don't need to worry about playing these games online and therefore can enjoy the fact they don't have to have gold to play these single player if signed up for the program.

His comment was for people complaining that you still need gold to play online which is just being consistent with how Gold has run since it came out.

[psuedo]

Either way 30 dollars for ea subscription, and only a 6 dollar discount. This IS NOT A VALUE FOR MOST GAMERS.

I dont buy fifa, madden, nfs, battlefield or peggle. Why would I pay 30 to play games I dont play. Plus still have to spend 54 dollars on a new game. I could spend that at gamestop and return the game two weeks later for 25 dollars. Only way its remotely worth it is if they give you that 60 dolars of dlc money grubbing for free.

Its no surprise to see the people who buy ea games, and support their company go to this deal. They have been being hammered in the patootie all this time, why stop now?

[psuedo]

Also dont get me started on that lgbtq game the lgbbq comunity are heralding because ea are catering to their community. (Dragon age)

[Dewitt]

So because you don't play these games it is not a good value. This is exactly why the service is optional. Instead of getting hung-up on the negatives when you don't even plan to use the service, how about you just move to the next topic.

[Dudebro90]

Typically dumb gamer response. They think the only games that are good are the ones they play.

They literally think gaming revolves around them.

[psuedo]

Ehh I prefer to have a gaming box. Not a subscription box I cant use when Im not paying for a service. The srvice is of no calue, just as EA no longer has any value. Even values for that matter.

Move onto the nex topic? What people arent allowing opinions, or other people to express themselves? Is society going backwards or forwards people? You tell me. History repeats itself.

[Dewitt]

If you look at the monetary value of 4 AAA titles (TO START) with more coming for 30 dollars a year, for games that you would most likely trade in anyways, then the value improves. Then you take 10% off every purchase for future titles and early access to games you might be interested in, but aren't sure. I think that is worth the investment of 1/2 the price of one new title.

Also, I said move along because every third post has been from someone exactly like you, "They don't have what I want so it's worth it." So no it's not an opinion when you have no interest in the service to begin with.

[4Sh0w]

So in other words since you don't want to play EA games, other gamers shouldn't be interested either in a service that allows them to play older EA games for cheap, get 10% off new EA games and try new games 5 days early to decide on a purchase???

Oh forgive us Master, we are not worthy.

[strangeaeon]

You would probably just have to wait until they do have games that appeal to you, problem solved.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Yeah, cheaper to go to GAMESTOP, and once you buy a game online , there is no trade in value!

[Gh05t]

"cheaper to go to GAMESTOP"

Lets see here...

http://www.gamestop.com/xbo...

BF4 New: $49
BF4 Used:$45

Or BF4 plus 3 other games for a whole year (In which case there may or may not be even more games on the service) all for 66% of a used copy of one of them.

[Team_Litt]

Gasp! People who like EA games like saving money on EA games and those that don't like EA games don't care about saving money on EA games?! Shut the front door!!
This reminds me of that one time I walked into a clothing shop that sells clothes that I HATE when they had an 80% sale.
I walked into the shop and screamed out at the top of my lungs how much I hated the shop and how the saving was not worth it to me. . . no wait, that doesn't sound right! I just continued walking by because I'm not a crazy loon who goes about "not caring" so loudly.

[mhunterjr]

Clearly this service is targeted to people who want to play ea games.... Just because it isn't for you, doesn't make it a bad deal. Ea fans will be saving money.

[brainfart]

Simple if you dont play those type of games then you dont subscribe, are you smoking on dope!!! Lol

[4Sh0w]

lol, Team_Litt thats hilarious. It reminds me of the analogy of a vegetarian showing up to a meat market sale only to complain about the cost of steak. This news is provoking some of the most ignorant, fanboyish type comments n4g is known for.

[Artista]

What's the problem here?

XBL is required to play online.

Surely, if you're interested in playing any of EA games online you'd already have XBL Sub.

What are you trying to spin?

[optimus]

Sorry but i'm one of those people that would play battlefield for the campaign (provided it gets better)... You all don't seem to see the bigger picture here....

There are people out there that do NOT subscribe to Gold (less now that most apps don't need gold to work anymore)and they would like to play a big library of games for $5 for that month.
They will appreciate not having to pay $60 1st in order to enjoy those games. It's also a great incentive for people getting an x1 as a gift for the holidays... They can throw in the ea subscription and those kids can play a bunch of games for a lot less of the price of 1 new one. Which for a lot of parents that may be all they can afford at the time.

[DoubleM70]

Agree they don't get it. Don't forget Battle field Hard line, Dragon Age, Mass Effect,. All of those games campaign single player is going to be great. It's definitely a game changer. What about the people that don't have shell out 60 bucks every year for a Madden Title anymore.

[yewles1]

HA!!! Called it.

"It causes problems with the GwG library if suddenly future titles are released on both services simultaneously OR have been removed from the GwG future line-up, just to ensure gouging.

Another problem is potentially requiring gold for online play, thus ensuring further gouging.

These kinds of options from publishers should only work if no such strings are attached. We should pay heed..."

http://n4g.com/news/1558187...

[Dewitt]

This doesn't make any sense, most people didn't even know that it didn't require gold which is a bonus. Also, of course you need the multiplayer service to play multiplayer, this was pretty much known and no way around it on either console since it uses the servers to connect to matchmaking.

If they don't show up on the GwG service, then that means there is more opportunity of 1st party titles or exclusives that people want to play because they own both consoles.

Again, I see no strings to this announcement, for me it only allows for more freedom.

[yewles1]

That makes no sense, you're not going going to have more first party titles because of less third party titles, you're now going to have less variety on one service just so you pay extra for the other.

[itisallaboutps]

Who wants to play old sport. Games anyways. And saving 6 dollars on new titles which os what you are paying is crap. 6 dollars on a digital title is like the cut of a hard copy ditributor minus the shipping and manufacture cost. They are getting even more money.

Early access which is just a delay for everyone else

It's a trick. Who buys more than one EA title a year?

When they bet on the wrong horse. And were stuck with a contract, they came up with this crap

[optimus]

So i guess you think psNow is a much better deal?...here is a refresher in case you forgot...

2.99 for 4 hrs / $5.99 for 7 days.

[Gh05t]

"They are getting even more money."

Oh no! A company is making even more money and I'm saving $6... Sounds like a WIN/WIN!

[i3eyond the Circle]

DX12 can play a major roll. If EA can port select titles from select last gen titles that were made for PC and make them only accessible through EA access then we have winner a BIG winner.

[mahmoods26]

Stop talking BS. Of course you need it. You're going to pay a yearly subscription to play sports games in single player. Stop being ridiculous.

[Macdaddy71]

And what good would be one with out the other!!!! It's dumb to even write bout this.....

[mrpsychoticstalker]

This is too many great news.... I might need a doctor.

[Xb1ps4]

Lol the stuff ppl come up with when they get all salty about something..

[shadowT]

Thats great, you can cancel now your Xbox Live Gold subscription. You will get better games in EA service.

[HacSawJimThugin]

I'm so sick of seeing Gold cost $60 when in fact t you can find it for as low as $40 dollars. I have gold until march 2020 because I jump on those deals whenever they pop up.

I will definitely jump on this deal...it's a STEAL for me. I haven't played a Madden game since 2008 or 9 so I will gladly give that yearly 30 and enjoy all of the games that I have never played from EA.

[Angerfist]

True. Xbox Live costs 33€ a year on ebay. you don't get PS+ that cheap.
I'm also in it for Access. Only people dissing it are PS Fan boys who mostly only buy Fifa anyway.

[quenomamen]

Ooooh well in that case take my money EA/MS, or do you prefer my firstborn ?

[stripe814]

so you are gonna pay at least $80 for a year subscription EA and MS, i guess the catch is dlc not included right?? probably gonna be seeing pay-to-win also with this

[BobBelcher]

Love the stretching people are doing just to spin all this as bad news.

$2.50 a month...

[Angerfist]

If this was for PS4 we all know how this would work around here. "Wow amazing" "Sony loves us" "Screw you Xbone" and all that.
I'm paying 60€ a year then for Live and Access which is 5 a month. If that is too much for some you might need a job.
And Sony says that service has no value but in 2 Months they do the same with Ubisoft :p