Video game publishing giant EA is trying something new with its latest program, a subscription service not so different from Netflix that will give gamers access to an ever expanding catalog of older EA titles, in addition to a slew of other perks.
Called "EA Access," the new service will be exclusively available on Xbox One and will cost $30 for a year subscription, or $4.99 per month, which if done for 12 months, would total to around $60. Becoming a member gives players access to what is being called "The Vault," a selection of older EA titles like Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4 that will continue to grow as newer games are released and older games are added to The Vault.
While The Vault doesn't include newly released EA titles, it does provide several other perks for those who find themselves purchasing EA titles regularly. All EA Access subscribers will get a 10 percent discount on all digital EA game offerings, including full games and downloadable content.
Even more interesting is that subscribers will get "early access" to new EA games before anybody else. Soon-to-be-released EA games will be available for subscribers to download and play up to five days before street date. Games that will be available for the early access free trial later this year are Dragon Age: Inquisition, Madden NFL 15, FIFA 15, NHL 15 and NBA Live 15. If, after playing the trial, you decide to purchase the full version of the game, all your progress made while playing the trial will carry over as well.
The Xbox exclusive service might be looking to fight back against PlayStation Now, a Sony initiative that allows for users to rent and then play older PlayStation titles on their PlayStation 4. The key difference here is that PlayStation Now is a streaming service where players pay to rent games on an individual basis, whereas EA Access is a subscription service that allows players to download, rather than stream, older EA titles. PlayStation Now is currently in beta. Currently Microsoft does not have a similar service of its own, and EA Access may be a step towards bridging that gap.
The beta for EA Access is rolling out today for a small number of Xbox One users, with the service opening up to more players over time. EA didn't give a timeframe for when we might expect to see the full release of the service to all Xbox One users.
