Yesterday EA announced a new premium service, coming exclusively to Xbox One. Dubbed “EA Access”, it will allow users to browse and play a growing selection of the publisher’s “biggest games”, all for the low cost sum of £3.99 a month.

When the announcement went live, my immediate reaction was sorely apathetical. Over the years EA has built a reputation for itself when it comes to putting the rinse on a gamer’s finances, from ridiculous in-app purchases in its mobile division to championing the now-defunct “online pass” system. Given its track record, to me, Access sounded like yet another scheme to get players to part with their cash. However, upon further inspection, Access could actually be one of the smartest and most gamer-friendly things EA has ever come up with.

So, how does it actually work? Well, for £3.99 a month (or £19.99 a year) users can browse The Vault, a library of EA games for Xbox One that can be downloaded and played straight away. Though comparable to PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold, it sounds as if The Vault will continue to grow as opposed to cycling new games in and out every month or so.

Currently EA Access is in beta and already offers users five games including Battlefield 4, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2, and FIFA 14. As the publisher fairly points out, these games would cost you over £70 combined, whether brought in-store or via download. Meanwhile a year’s access to these titles would cost less than a third of that. Even if you were to buy physical copies and trade them in later, you still can’t beat that price.


The biggest problem with EA Access, though common similar services, is that the service won’t include new releases. So, if you’re stoked for Dragon Age III or Battlefield: Hardline, you’re still going to have to pay full price at retail or make use of the service’s 10% discount across all EA digital content.

Arguably, users could simply wait for months on end until these games eventually appear in The Vault, but then that begs the question: who is really benefiting the most from Access? Well, it certainly isn’t EA’s most loyal and devoted fans, especially for those who pick up the publisher’s titles on day one. For them The Vault holds no value, the best case scenario being a slew of digital discounts on already-overpriced games as well as limited-time trials to new releases.

No, who EA really seem to be going for are the casual sector, riding on the success of similar services such as PlayStation Plus and even Netflix. These are typically the sort of gamers who aren’t too fussed about staying on top of new releases and will happily slap down $30 a year just to root around The Vault. As long as EA continues to update this library of free games periodically, for them, Access will continue to provide excellent value.

For the publisher it’s a win-win situation. Within a year of launching, games like FIFA, NFL, and even Battlefield rapidly lose value as they are quickly usurped by the next annual instalment. Therefore, making these game free for Access subscribers isn’t going to put a dent in the publisher’s profits. There’s also a good chance that, for example, after playing Battlefield 4 via Access, a member could then be tempted into buying a new copy of Hardline when that comes out. Whether brought in-store or through Xbox Live, it’s still a sale for EA, regardless. The only other disadvantage to EA Access is what the service means for Xbox’s Games with Gold. The likely result is that titles featured in The Vault won’t cross over with Microsoft’s own monthly offerings.


There’s also the question of the effect it will have on EA’s participation in PlayStation Plus, which currently plays host to Dead Space 3 and has previously seen the likes of Battlefield 3. A Sony representative saying this morning that EA Access is not on PlayStation because, in the face of PS+, they “don’t think asking our fans to pay an additional $5 a month for this EA-specific program represents good value to the PlayStation gamer.” It’s a rather strong statement, and one that could sour a working relationship, but it also takes the ability to make an informed choice out of consumers’ hands.

Overall, Access isn’t an entirely surprising move from EA though one that will be interesting to watch as the service is rolled out in the United States and Europe in the coming months. Though some will be eager to see it fall flat on its face, there will no doubt be others who genuinely benefit from what it has to offer. Will you signing up Access when it comes out? What do you think of Sony’s stance and would you like to see it on PlayStation 4? Be sure to let us know what you think the comments below.