Australian technology news, reviews, and guides to help you
Australian technology news, reviews, and guides to help you
PS4

EA rolls out Netflix-like subscription for games

If you thought you’d just be paying for movies and TV shows, you might want to add games to that, as EA adds its own take.

It’s not just Netflix, Spotify, Stan, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, and other entertainment services you’ll need to look to paying for in the future, as video games enter the entertainment fray as well.

Already, we have movies and music, so why not games? That’s where the world is going next, as online games services kick into gear.

Australia is likely to be a little behind, because while Apple Arcade and Google Stadia are a way off locally, Xbox already offers a service for consoles and PC, and EA isn’t far behind either.

In fact, the maker of the regularly annual FIFA soccer games and the publisher of Bioware titles “Dragon Age” and “Mass Effect” is ready with its take on the idea, launching “EA Access” across the world.

For a nice change, Australia is part of that, as EA offers PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners the chance to buy into a monthly or yearly subscription model to gain access to games that might be a little old, at least for now.

At launch, EA Access includes FIFA 19, Madden NFL 19, Battlefield V, A Way Out, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, and Star Wars Battlefront II.

While that’s only seven games, EA says more are coming, with upcoming titles able to be played five days before release, with FIFA 20, NFL 20, and NHL 20 all coming in the future.

For now, it’s those aforementioned seven games, with unlimited access to the titles for the time you pay for, be it for a month, several, or for the year.

Pricing looks to be interesting, however, with EA Access available for $6.99 monthly or $39.99 for the year. As to whether EA Access represents value for you, that’ll depend on whether or not you spend regularly on games, as well as how much EA adds to its service.

Right now, the game selection is a little slim, and frankly, well under where an online gaming service should be. However if you’re a big EA Sports player and prefer a yearly $40 cost to buying sports titles outright, the value could be there.

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