EA Access, Xbox One - $5/mo, $30/yr

[AzBat]

• The first game available in an early trial version will be Madden 15 sometime ahead of its August launch.
• The program does not change EA's current plans for demo/beta access to games. An EA representative says, "Traditional demos and betas will still exist."
• Digital content (such as DLC and maps) will be sold separately, but at a 10% discount. An EA represnentative clarified, "Once you purchase any DLC, it is yours to own, even if your membership lapses. All of your progression is retained."
• Games will be downloaded, not streamed. Your game progress is also saved by the system, so the EA representative says, "Even if you lapse as a member, and then decide to come back, you’d be able to pick up where you left off."

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-announces-5-month-xbox-one-subscription-program/1100-6421373/

GameStop Shares Tumble After EA Access Announcement
Retailer's shares down more than 5 percent, but analysts say it's too early to know if the service will have any kind of real impact on GameStop's business.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-shares-tumble-after-ea-access-announcemen/1100-6421382/

Interesting. Wonder if this means no EA games will show up in the the Games with Gold program. So far there hasn't been one show up. Too bad since I don't see myself paying for this service anyway.

Tommy McClain

 

[Deleted member 13524]

The first games are Battlefield, Madden, FIFA and Peggle. So it won't just be a list of sports titles for the vault. It also gives you a 10% discount purchasing new games digitally, so if you're a person that expects to buy Battlefield, Dragon Age, Mirror's Edge, Need for Speed, Star Wars and whatever else they have, it could work out to be a good deal since you're also getting the 10% discount on the DLC etc. It really depends on what you're interested in.

It won't just be a list of sports titles for the vault and I never suggested such a thing.
I wrote it "should be the most interesting choice" for fans of sports games because it's less important to keep those games when their rosters are outdated. Consequently, the resale value of FIFA 13 becomes much lower as soon as FIFA 14 comes out.
Again, it depends on how late the McSports games are released for subscribers.

I wouldn't count on those 10% to be certain for all products. EA made sure they'd get an asterisk in the end of that paragraph (which says nothing in the bottom of the page and points to a link that is also vague on that subject).
It could be 10% discount on select products, just like what we have in PS+ (and I assume Xbox Gold too?).

 

[expletive]

It won't just be a list of sports titles for the vault and I never suggested such a thing.
I wrote it "should be the most interesting choice" for fans of sports games because it's less important to keep those games when their rosters are outdated. Consequently, the resale value of FIFA 13 becomes much lower as soon as FIFA 14 comes out.
Again, it depends on how late the McSports games are released for subscribers..

I wonder if it will give the N-1 versions of their sports games longer 'legs' since people with this subscription may be less likely to drop $54 on the newest version unless its a significant update. (Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the annual $60 sports titles completely, with them going to a sub model for roster and engine updates.)

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

Well, there's a couple of different things at play here, correct?

Because it seems like all those unintelligent troglodtyes that keep EA in business by repeatedly buying McSports games are actually going to be getting Madden 2015 early and at a 10% discount, provided they pay their $30 for the yearly membership, and actually purchase the game digitally.

Unless EA is actually making Madden 15 available for free and prior to its actual release for anybody who bought the $30 membership, in which case that's an even better deal for the knuckle-dragging degenerates that buy these games.

 

[Dave Baumann]

Mmmm, just been given an access code to a preview of this by virtue of being in the XBOX Preview program.

 

[Graham]

A nice step towards a future of genre and publisher library+discount subscriptions.
It only makes sense really. Encouraging buying digital, paid demos, predictable income and perceived value...
You can be sure the average person with the $30 sub will be spending more on EA products than a person without. They wouldn't do it otherwise, not that I mind so much. It makes sense.

Humble Subscription, Ubi+, for example, can't be too far off.

 

[rokkerkory]

This could be a game changer in terms of new business models. I expect other big publishers to follow suit and test this out. If this is exclusive to X1, it could be a big thing too but suspect they are just testing the waters with X1.

If titles are great and rotate enough then worth it for $2.50 a month.

 

[Rangers]

This could be a game changer in terms of new business models. I expect other big publishers to follow suit and test this out. If this is exclusive to X1, it could be a big thing too but suspect they are just testing the waters with X1.

If titles are great and rotate enough then worth it for $2.50 a month.

Yeah, seems like a test. Could end up being the future, or not.

 

[AzBat]

If titles are great and rotate enough then worth it for $2.50 a month.

EA has said that once a game is in the Vault there are no plans to remove it.



Tommy McClain

 

[Scott_Arm]

Well, there's a couple of different things at play here, correct?

Because it seems like all those unintelligent troglodtyes that keep EA in business by repeatedly buying McSports games are actually going to be getting Madden 2015 early and at a 10% discount, provided they pay their $30 for the yearly membership, and actually purchase the game digitally.

Unless EA is actually making Madden 15 available for free and prior to its actual release for anybody who bought the $30 membership, in which case that's an even better deal for the knuckle-dragging degenerates that buy these games.

Proud to be a knuckle-dragging degenerate. NHL and FIFA are the best multiplayer games you can buy. They're the absolute best team games, period. If I had the time to play both, it would make this subscription an easy sell, because I'd likely end up getting another EA game over the following year.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Actually, $30 is really cheap, so these will have to be old games given away. It's more like PSN+ (not sure how Live differs now!) in that it's mostly a discount service offering money off and perks, with some games available. Probably like Netflix then in being filled mostly with dross.

It's a weird model. As Patrick Klepek pointed out in his story on Giant Bomb it appears the service is designed to convince people to actually buy new games when they start hitting, but if you find you end up buying the games you want why do you need the subscription anymore? So a coupon book analogy seems to be more accurate, especially with the monthly option. Games come out so tightly packed in the fall you could sign up for a single month, save almost $20 buying 4 games and then immediately cancel. Last year's sports titles are of little to no value. Early access to demo versions of new games is of little to no value. I don't know that EA alone has enough of a library to ever make long term subscription access to just their games desirable.

 

[-tkf-]

It´s $30 a year to pickup the titles you didn't buy at launch but waited to drop in price or buy used, now EA takes over that service. Like a graveyard for games that has had their round of price drops and special offers.

Does the vault grow in a PS+ fashion, that you have to be paying for the games added to be in your vault, or can we wait a year and then signup and play a bunch of games..

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Of course, it's US only too, so quite the baby step.

 

[mosen]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...sent-good-value-to-the-playstation-gamer.aspx

We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect,” a Sony representative told us via email. “PlayStation Plus memberships are up more than 200% since the launch of PlayStation 4, which shows that gamers are looking for memberships that offer a multitude of services, across various devices, for one low price. We 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.

 

[fehu]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...sent-good-value-to-the-playstation-gamer.aspx

Translated: give us better margins or forget the ps users

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sony shouldn't be making those calls in a free market economy. It should be down to the consumer whether the deal represents value or not.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's been given a UK price, so not US only.

 

[Cjail]

Will the games/service be linked to the XBL account or to an EA account?

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Sony shouldn't be making those calls in a free market economy. It should be down to the consumer whether the deal represents value or not.

Completely agree. I wonder how EA's system will integrate into the Xbox One. Will Microsoft bake it into their store so it's completely seamless or will it be a separate app.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Of course, it's US only too, so quite the baby step.

Here are the launch countries

At launch, EA Access will be available in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States with additional territories to follow.