Industry-leading game publsiner rebrands subscription-based game libraries
Not to be confused with their E3-replacement expo “EA Play Live,” EA Play is the companies’ latest effort to consolidate it’s streaming libraries EA Access and Origin Access under one service.
For a monthly or yearly fee, subscribers can access a robust library of EA and third-party titles such as the entire Battlefield franchise, Titanfall, and even Command & Conquer. Both services also included discounts for games and downloadable content and early access for new releases just before the official launch.
Both services also had their own subscription tiers, with the more premium version offering full releases at launch and a more extensive selection of games to choose from. The only real difference between EA Access and Origin Access are the platforms they operate on. EA Access is strictly for consoles while Origin caters to PC – which only until recently was the exclusive home to many EA titles before they ultimately decided to allow their games on other markets such as Steam.
Just as its predecessors, EA Play will also feature a premium tier. Known as EA Play Pro, it includes not only all the benefits previously listed but also new rewards such as exclusive in-game challenges and monthly rewards for specific titles.
There isn’t much information on what future rewards entail. Still, some current examples from EA’s announcement are items such as Ultimate Team Packs for games such as FIFA or Madden, cosmetics, and other “vanity items.” It appears that the reward parameters are case-specific and “will vary from title to title.”
According to a representative from EA to Gamasutra, EA Play subscriptions are not universal across platforms. They confirmed that “platform subscriptions are still separate but with the same great benefits - it made sense to move to one name, which is more in line with what we are delivering: Play.”
EA isn’t the only one simplifying its lineup of subscriptions. Not long ago, Bloomberg revealed Apple’s own consolidation efforts – a tiered bundle including Apple Music, Apple TV, and other first-party services tentatively known as “Apple One.”
EA Play launches on August 18 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam.
