Don't Expect EA Access on the PS4 Anytime Soon

[RaychelSnr]

During last week's Gamescom convention, GameSpot interviewed Electronic Arts' chief operating officer Peter Moore. For sports fans (especially those owning a PlayStation 4), the most interesting part of this discussion came when Moore was asked if Electronic Arts had any plans for bringing the surprisingly successful EA Access program to Sony's system.

Quote:

"Let's switch to EA Access, which a lot of people think offers a good deal. Peter Moore: I think it offers a great deal. Do you still want to see EA Access on PlayStation 4? Peter Moore: Doesn't matter. It's on Xbox One, and those customers love it. We have analytics on everything these days, and subscriber satisfaction rates are through the roof. EA Access customers get to play more, because of the Vault, they get to play early, ahead of general release date, and they get to pay less because of the discounts it offers. So, consumers love it. It's doing well. If you expand to another console, business will be even better, right? Peter Moore: But it's not. It's on Xbox One. I'm curious about what you're saying. Is this part of a deal with Microsoft now? Peter Moore: It's on Xbox One- [Interrupting] Do you want to talk about this? Peter Moore: Well Sony talked about it, ask them [laughs]. There's not much left for me to say."

Moore's last line is a reference to Game Informer's infamous quote from an anonymous Sony representative who claimed that, "We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect. 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."

The "value" of a $5-per-month subscription ($30 for the year) was certainly questionable when Sony made its original statement on July 30, 2014. But as EA's downloadable game vault has been expanded to include the entire EA Sports catalog, and the company's pre-release trial period has been extended to 10 hours, EA Access has arguably become a better value for sports gamers than Sony's own PlayStation Plus program.

Sony's PlayStation 4 was the clear choice of a new generation when it and the Xbox One debuted during 2013's holiday shopping season. But since most sports titles look and play similarly on each console, and Xbox One owners finally have a good hardball option in Super Mega Baseball, I have mostly run out of reasons why I would recommend a PlayStation 4 over an Xbox One to someone looking for the best place to play console sports games (sup, Rocket League).

[scottyp180]

I still can't believe Sony passed on this and their reasoning simply made no sense. It should be the customer that decides if they feel EA Access is a good value, which it clearly is. If I buy 1 of EA's sports game from last year used I'm still going pay over $20 whereas I can pay $30 for a year of EA Access and get old of last year's sports titles as well as Dragon Age, Titanfall, and a few other titles (including ones that will be added to the vault at a later time).

Sony allowing this on PS4 would also take away an advantage on Xboxone. I don't know if any people are going to buy an Xboxone because of EA Access but it is a nice incentive that PS4 doesn't have. If anything EA Access would bring more value to PS4 oppose to offering poor value.

[scottyp180]

Oh I also forgot to mention the 10 hour trials which, as far as I know, offer access to the entire game not just a short game and select games like a typical demo. I'm many cases this is the only option to try games before they release because demos are becoming infrequent.

[elgreazy1]

EA Access was one of the final sticking points when it came to choosing a XBO vs PS4. It made it easy for me to transition into a new console without having to invest in a bunch of games up front along with the cost of a console ( + accessories + yearly online subscription).

$30/year for a full library of quality games is a great deal and the library itself has a lot of variety: sports, shooters, fighters, RPGs, puzzle, etc. It really changed a lot of my stances on gaming before: I like being able to download new games and have now moved away from disc copies towards digital downloads. I tried out Madden, FIFA, & NHL and will buy the 2016 versions of these after not having purchased an EA Sports game in 5+ years. I also get Madden ahead of time, this year, which is ironic because my brother is a Madden-head and has to wait until release date days later.

[Cowboy008]

That's disappointing. It would be great if EA Access came to the PS4.

[ai2k2]

The ball is in Sony's court. It's never too late. They're also probably just waiting for proper timing. If it's one thing Sony seems to have this gen it's a plan...

[kenchun24]

Nah I'm with Sony (and I only play Xbox360 & PS3 still) screw EA shenanigan #199,876...demo's should be free like they always were. Silly kids with free access to their parents debit card keep supporting these DLC schemes that EA started years ago with Madden 10. Also the Mass Effect 3 backlash led via Total Biscuit's rant on the whole exploitative DLC scheme from crappy publishers like EA .

[snc237]

Wow would of been devistated if access went to ps4 and not Xbox. Having access is really one of the Xboxs greatest assets. Just an amazing value.