EA Access is a subscription-basedvideo game service from Electronic Arts for the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 platforms, offering access to selected games published by Electronic Arts along with additional incentives. A similar service, Origin Access, is available for Microsoft Windows PCs. EA Access was pitched to both Microsoft for the Xbox One and Sony for the PlayStation 4, although Sony initially declined to participate as they did not believe it provided value to their customers. EA Access launched first on Xbox One on August 11, 2014, and later arrived to the PlayStation 4 on July 24, 2019.
Overview
EA Access membership can be purchased in one-month or 12-month increments, either from the Xbox Games Store or from selected third-party retailers. Members have unlimited access to the full versions of a selection of games published by EA, dubbed "the Vault", for as long as their membership is active. If membership is suspended, the games can no longer be played, but all progress and game saves are retained. Members may also purchase games available from EA Access outright, along with other EA games and DLC, at a discounted price. EA Access does not require users to have a paid Xbox Live membership, although a Gold-level membership is required for use of any multiplayer features that are included in Access-enabled games. Games are added to the Vault at EA's discretion, such as making a title available on Access a set number of days after its retail launch. Although the Terms of Service allow EA to remove titles with 30 days' notice, EA has pledged that games will not be removed at a later date. However, EA announced on July 20, 2017 that FIFA 14 would be removed from the Vault on October 18, 2017, due to the decision to end online support for the title. The game will remain playable in offline mode for users who installed it prior to its removal date, but if the game is removed from the console after that date, it cannot be reinstalled. EA described the removal of FIFA 14 as a "unique circumstance specific to the title" that was not representative of their future plans for EA Access. On April 26, 2018, it was announced that Rory McIlroyPGA Tour would also be removed from the Vault on May 22, 2018, due to the game being delisted from the Xbox Store on that date. Users who pre-order upcoming games through Access are able download special limited versions of the games, released five days prior to the retail launch. EA described these early-release versions as not being more traditional demos, but instead full-featured but time-limited versions, with the exact extent of content varying from game to game. Any progress earned within these limited versions will carry over to the full retail version. Games published on the EA Partners and/or EA Originals labels are not eligible for EA Access benefits. However, Titanfall was added to the Vault in June 2015, as part of an E3 2015 promotion that also enabled a free trial for all Xbox One owners. Titanfall 2 was also added to the vault in July 2017. EA Access subscribers are able to receive downloadable content for games in the Vault free at during various limited time periods, such as the Naval Strike and Second Assault DLCs for Battlefield 4. Subscribers who download the free DLCs offered during the free period are able to keep them regardless of subscription status. On May 3, 2016, Premium access for Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline were offered free for a limited period of time, enabling subscribers to download all released expansions for both games at no cost. Although Battlefield 4 Premium content can only be accessed with an active subscription, subscribers were allowed to keep Hardline Premium features regardless of subscription status. The season pass for Star Wars Battlefront was made available at no cost for subscribers on July 7, 2017. On February 29, 2016, EA Access expanded to include Xbox 360 titles via the Xbox One's backward compatibility feature, starting with the original Plants vs. Zombies. Dead Space was added on March 31. On January 17, 2018, Black, released for Xbox in 2006, was added to the Vault. EA announced that alongside bringing its catalog back to Steam in October 2019, that it would also release a version of EA Access for Steam users with a library comparable to the Xbox and PlayStation versions. The first set of these games were added to Steam in June 2020.
Release and reception
EA Access debuted in beta form exclusively on Xbox One on July 29, 2014, and was officially launched on August 11, 2014. Electronic Arts approached both Sony and Microsoft with the service, but Sony declined to make it available on their PlayStation 4 console. A similar version called Origin Access launched on January 12, 2016, on PC. Shares of video game retailerGameStop, which sells both new and used games, fell over five percent after Electronic Arts' announcement. A similar price drop occurred after PlayStation Now was first announced and that the stock price subsequently recovered. GameStop will be one of the retailers selling EA Access memberships.
