Now that the Xbox Series S price has been revealed, the floodgates of next-gen announcements have been opened with Microsoft the first to sail through. In addition to the announcement for one of their two next generation consoles, Microsoft also recently announced what the price and release date would be for the Xbox Series X, their most powerful flagship console to date. Players will be able to choose between purchasing the console outright or taking advantage of the new Xbox All Access program to purchase both the console and 24-months of Game Pass Ultimate via a two-year installment program. Today, Microsoft announced another expansion of Game Pass Ultimate with their partnership with EA now including an EA Play subscription as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Formerly known as EA Access and Origin Access, EA Play will bring the best of EA to Game Pass, including:
- More than 60 of EA’s biggest and best console and PC games like FIFA 20, Titanfall 2 and Need for Speed Heat, as well as titles from some of EA’s most popular franchises like Battlefield, Mass Effect, Skate, and The Sims.
- Exclusive in-game challenges and rewards, special member-only content, discounts on EA digital purchases for DLC, games, and more.
- Access to trials of games for up to 10 hours from best-loved franchises and top titles like Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21.
- Not only will EA Play titles be available on console and PC, this holiday, some of the best EA Play games will also be available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play on Android devices via the cloud at no additional charge.
With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offering a number of titles playable on Android, such as Gears 5, Wasteland 3, and more, seeing the inclusion of EA Play titles on the service is a welcome addition. However, Xbox owners should note that this subscription partnership only includes the base version of EA Play. Electronic Arts offers another tier, called EA Play Pro, that offers a few additional benefits to consumers including access to more than just a 10-hour trial of newer releases. However, this additional tier of EA Play is only available on PC.
EA Play Pro members get everything above plus:
- Unlimited access to all our latest titles as soon as they drop.
- Pro-level rewards like Season Passes and exclusive player content.
- A library of deluxe edition games.
Whether players will be able to upgrade their Game Pass for PC bundled subscription to EA Play Pro to get immediate access to Madden NFL 21 and other EA titles remains unanswered, but either way, this is a fantastic move by Microsoft to continue to expand the outreach of their Game Pass program to a wider range of console gamers.
