EA Reveals Netflix-type Subscription Program for Xbox One with EA Access

Written by Brandon Hofer on July 29, 2014

News: EA has revealed a new program called EA Access; a netflix-esque type of program that is exclusive to the Xbox One.

Some interesting news is coming out of EA today as they have begun to unveil a new concept titled, “EA Access” for Xbox One gamers. From what I can gather, EA Access is similar to your Netflix subscription, only for games. EA Access will allow you to play more games for less. You will have access to all of the games that are in the “vault” with Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, Battlefield 4 and Peggle 2 being the titles that will be available during the beta test. More games will be added to the vault in the future but with just those four games alone you are saving a tremendous amount of money. The best part is that EA Access will only cost you $4.99 a month or $29.99 for a full year.

As an additional perk for being a member of EA Access, you will also get an exclusive 10% discount on EA digital purchases on Xbox One. You can use your 10% discount on Madden Ultimate Team, Battlefield 4, EA Sports UFC, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and much more. There will also be more games constantly being added to the service. There is a question though about how this will be be handled. Once a new game hits the service, does that mean one of the existing games leaves? Or does the service just keep getting bigger and bigger with more and more games being available to members? Additionally if you are an EA Access member you can download upcoming EA games five days before the release date to play for a limited time. Games like Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA Live 15 and Dragon Age: Inquisition will be included. Imagine being able to download Dragon Age: Inquisition five days before it comes out and being able to play it. It appears that you will be downloading somewhat of a demo because EA has said that if you love it, then you can buy the game and your progress will carry over.

According to EA, the way these “pre-trials” will work will be vary by title. In some games you will be able to play one of the game’s modes for a limited time, while other times you will be able to jump right into the full game. Regardless of what type of “pre-trial” it is, your progress will always carry over.

There is no definitive timetable for this service to become available to everyone other than “this summer.” EA says they will announce the launch day soon. There will be some gamers that are also happy to hear that this service will not be restricted to just the United States. The current list of supported countries includes the Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.

More details will be revealed in the coming days and weeks. What do you think about EA Access? Is this a service you would be interested in signing up for? Right now this service is exclusive to Xbox One with no mention of other platforms. Using Dragon Age: Inquisition as an example, would this service be enough for you to buy the Xbox One version over the PS4 version? Tell us what you think below.