Yesterday it was reported that EA were starting a subscription service, exclusive to the Xbox One. But rather than this being a masterful move of Microsoft marketing, EA are instead working on the rebound – Sony told them no.
EA broached the subject with Sony first but were apparently turned away as Sony believes PS Plus is a better fit for their machine, a spokesperson told Game Informer. “We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect,” a statement reads. “PlayStation Plus memberships are up more than 200 per cent since the launch of PlayStation 4, which shows that gamers are looking for memberships that offer a multitude of services, across various devices, for one low price.
“We don’t think asking our fans to pay an additional $5 a month for this EA-specific program represents good value to the PlayStation gamer.”
It’s certainly interesting and the move is causing quite the stir amongst the community. While EA are often infamous for their poor value schemes, the EA Access subscription service actually sounds surprising good. Costing you $4.99/£3.99 a month, you’re granted access to a vault of EA titles – as well as discounts on digital content, alongside a myriad of other features.
It’s possible that Sony’s reasoning stems from their upcoming PS Now streaming service, though pricing is yet to be finalised.
Originally published July 31, 2014. Updated January 18, 2020.
