EA Play game subscription becomes part Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for PC
Microsoft will expand Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and the cheaper Game Pass PC subscription with the integration of EA Play. That’s a similar service that gives Game Pass subscribers access to EA games at no extra cost.
Microsoft reports that the EA Play integration only applies to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and the Game Pass subscription for PC. The integration is therefore not an issue for the regular Xbox Game Pass subscription for Xbox consoles. It is not yet clear when exactly the merger of these two subscriptions will be available. Microsoft says that will be the case from the holiday season, which usually means the end of November.
Through this partnership, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to choose from more than 60 Electronic Arts titles at no additional cost. Until now, interested parties had to take out a separate subscription with EA. With EA Play, popular titles from the publisher such as FIFA 20, Titanfall 2 and Need for Speed Heat will be available. Titles from series such as Battlefield, Mass Effect, Skate and The Sims are also available. EA Play does not offer full access to the latest EA games, but it does offer trial sessions for new titles for ten hours. At a later time, those titles will also become part of the available offer. In addition, there will be discounts on digital content, such as DLC.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives access to a large catalog of free to play games for 13 euros per month on both Xbox One and PC, which still have to be installed. The Xbox Live Gold part is also included, so that playing multiplayer is also possible. Because Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will receive cloud gaming via Android from September 15, some EA titles can also be played from an Android smartphone in the long term. That’s not true of all games, Microsoft says.
The integration of EA Play also applies to the standalone Game Pass subscription for the PC, which is still in beta and costs 4 euros per month. That is striking, because EA Play also costs 4 euros for the PC. Gamers who use it can therefore switch to Game Pass and get access to more games for the same money. Microsoft could increase the price of the PC subscription if it goes out of beta.
EA Play is the new name in which the publisher has merged its former EA Access and Origin Access services. Origin Access Premier subscription is being converted to EA Play Pro. This is the more expensive PC-focused plan, which also gives users instant access to the latest EA titles.