EA Access for Xbox One: Play EA Games Up to Five Days Before the Release Date

[Steve_OS]

EA has just announced EA Access, exclusive for Xbox One users.

Here are a few things that it will offer:

• EA Access membership unlocks The Vault, a collection of EA’s biggest games on Xbox One ready for you to download and play.
• Besides the great games in The Vault, EA Access members will save 10% on purchases of EA digital content for Xbox One offered through the Xbox Games Store.
• Membership in EA Access lets you experience trials of new EA games up to five days before the release date.* It starts with Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA LIVE 15, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, but more are on the way. If you decide to buy the game, your progress will carry over so you can pick up right where you left off.

You can join EA Access for just $4.99 per month, or you can purchase an annual membership for $29.99 per year on Xbox LIVE. It is in beta right now, but should be rolling out for Xbox One users very soon.

Read the full press release below.

Announcing EA Access for Xbox One: The Best Way to Play EA’s Games

Today we’re revealing a new way for gamers to play more EA games. This is something we’ve never done before and we’re excited to share it with you.

We have partnered with Microsoft to deliver EA Access, an all-new monthly (or annual) membership for gamers exclusively on Xbox One that starts at just $4.99 a month. The service is being rolled out in beta to a limited number of players today, but it will launch for everyone on Xbox One soon. At EA, we are always looking for new ways to make it easier for gamers to play more EA games across all platforms, and we are excited about what EA Access will offer to players on Xbox One.

EA Access membership unlocks The Vault, a collection of EA’s biggest games on Xbox One ready for you to download and play. During the beta, gamers will have unlimited access to four great EA games: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4™, with more titles being added soon. That’s over $100 worth of games for $4.99 a month. You can play these EA favorites as much as you want with the click of a button.

EA Access is a totally new way for you to play more of the games you love, for less. Here’s a rundown of the additional benefits EA Access members will get:

Awesome Value – Besides the great games in The Vault, EA Access members will save 10% on purchases of EA digital content for Xbox One offered through the Xbox Games Store. From full digital-download titles like the upcoming Dragon Age™ Inquisition or NHL®15, to additional membership services such as Battlefield 4 Premium or even FIFA Ultimate Team points, it’s all 10% off for members.*

Play First – Membership in EA Access lets you experience trials of new EA games up to five days before the release date.* It starts with Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA LIVE 15, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, but more are on the way. If you decide to buy the game, your progress will carry over so you can pick up right where you left off.

You can join EA Access for just $4.99 per month, or you can purchase an annual membership for $29.99 per year on Xbox LIVE®.

Soon, fans of GameStop will be able to purchase their EA Access membership in local retail stores. GameStop and Amazon will also carry EA Access memberships for Xbox One gamers across Europe, as well as EB Games in Canada.

Excited to check it out? EA Access will launch on Xbox One soon. You will find more information on the program at the EA Access website. Be sure to follow EA Access on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Stay tuned!

*Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See www.ea.com/eaaccess for details.

UPDATE: EA just added their FAQ.

UPDATE #2: Here is the official response from Sony.

Quote:

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."

[Hooe]

If I still had an XBOX One, how quickly I signed up for this service would be dependent on how quickly games are added to the free back catalog. Generally speaking, EA does tend to publish quality games at a reasonably high clip.

It's a step towards the continuous games-as-a-service model I'd like to see Madden and other sports games move towards, however, so I'm happy about that.

[countryboy]

Come on PS4...don't let us down!

[Cowboy008]

So how come this is only on the xbox one? I probably would have gotten it if they had it for PS4 I don't know why they would leave the PS4 fans hanging like that.

[jyoung]

I see that the digital download discount has been decreased to 10%, compared to the 20% discount that the old Season Ticket program provided.

I suppose this was done to compensate for the fact that they are now giving away full games in the new Vault feature.

The early access period has also increased from 3 days to 5 days.

So for just $5 more than Season Ticket used to cost ($25), I would say this is a better deal, unless you were a person who spent tons on digital downloads.

[bluengold34_OS]

To me this a no brainer - will play them early on Xbox one and buy the full game for the PS4 still -

[A_Quiet_Pro]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cowboy008

So how come this is only on the xbox one? I probably would have gotten it if they had it for PS4 I don't know why they would leave the PS4 fans hanging like that.

Because just like the exclusive licensing rights for ONLY EA to make the game in the first place, Microsoft has a deal with NFL for things to be exclusive to Xbox One when it comes to Madden. (OR if it's coming to both X1 and PS4, it'll be on X1 first, before PS4).

[ajblithe20]

Exclusivity is so dumb in the gaming industry. It's nice that more games have things exclusive to ps4, but I'd rather everyone get everything at the same time.