This. Is. Brilliant. Completely and utterly B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.
So in a move similar to Games For Gold for Xbox systems or PS Plus for Playstation platforms, or more accurately Playstaion Now, Electronic Arts have announced EA Access: a service which will not only allow paid subscribers to play a number of older EA licensed games, but promises to give early access to upcoming triple-A productions such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and Madden Fifteen. It even offers discounts.
Its hard to impossible to look at such an offer and not see it as a good deal. But then this is Electronic Arts we are talking about. Two time concurrent winner of the worst company in the United States Award. The publisher who ruined titles such as Dungeon Keeper, The Sims and Dead Space with micro-transactions and unnecessary, forced online conditions. This sounds like the literal Devil offering free kittens and candy from his van. There has to be something up.
But no. Put down twenty-nine, ninety-nine in legal U.S. tender - or credit - for one year, or four, ninety-nine for just one month and you are in. So it is really two dollars and fifty cents a month for access to a whole library of titles which will even include unreleased sure-fire hits. A fifty percent savings, since only a complete and total idiot would pay sixty dollars over the course of twelve months for something like this. So twelve, two-fifty payments early and likely recurring it is.
And for that money you get to play games like Madden Fourteen, Battlefield Four and Peggle Two. At least as a start with later titles introduced, or removed, at EA's discretion. The entirety of the content in the advertised vault could be a relatively small and rotating pool, will certainly be small as the service starts up on a console which itself isn't yet a year old, but then even an automatic library of games isn't really EA Access' main draw.
More than likely what will bring subscribers will be early access to the latest and upcoming iterations of FIFA, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The chance to play titles, unless fellow subscribers, five days before anyone else. With further options of continuing play where you left off if you decide to buy the game, while getting a discount on the title so long as its a digital download. The method the industry insists is the future as it makes it the future. Really, that's about the worst that can be said about what EA Access offers.
Really, nothing else can be said. Given that as a service exclusive to the Xbox One, the fanboy flag has been firmly planted.
Maybe the case could be presented that since early access to new titles is the service's main strength that demos, released once or maybe twice a year, are now officially a paid commodity, but such would only be dismissed or agreed with based on camp alignment. Likewise pointing out that the older games used to pad and hide such a deduction are wholly under the control and whim of Electronic Arts, who have only held the best interest of all gamers first. No title under their umbrella has ever been compromised because they strictly held to release dates which favored their stock price.
Which reminds me: wonder how long until Capcom, and others, copy this...
Nagoshi Studio’s YouTube channel with the Gang of Dragon trailers appears to have been removed following reports that NetEase will stop funding.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
This whole mess is the result of bad decisions and strategy from those who have "the vision" inside the company.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
FWIW..... wasn't the new management speaking to the other staff.... not so much us (regular folk)?
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Actual fans dont move on... they can add to their hobby while waiting for the next new release. If you believe what you typed then I guess PS fans moved on too.... you know, since its been a Sahara for 1st party games this gen.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
More like, allot of their base just played game pass. So now they need to encourage them to start buying again.
What exactly is the long term goal with exclusives though?
Because for the most part, the hardware side of things has never been the most profitable, even sometimes being subsidized for a period before breaking even. And that’s before the hardware component nightmare we currently live in.
The whole point of exclusives was to get more people to buy your console in order to have a bigger install base, which meant even bigger software sales.
But if their ports to PS5 are selling (for the most part it seems) quite well, then other than negating the cut Sony takes there, unless you are REALLY increasing your software sales on your own console, it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference?
Honestly I don’t even understand Sony’s decision to scale back on it for PC unless they weren’t even recouping the port expenses. They released ports when the hardware sales never really dropped, and now that all consoles will undoubtedly take a noticeable drop in sales due to the ridiculous prices, that’s when they decide they don’t want to sell to a larger install base to more easily recoup dev costs… it’s just weird
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
It's a Trojan Horse concept for getting more people to buy digital. The 10% off is nothing compared to the fact that it's one less person who will be selling the game to GameStop or giving it to a friend.
Also, another user mentioned and I think it will definitely come to fruition, but it's yet another way to sell DLC. I definitely see EA giving certain DLC away for all of their games if you subscribe to the service. Yet another manner in which content will be withheld from other users, which means content created for the game is not available to every user. An issue we already have in retail stores, soon to be an issue here as well, IMHO.
Personally, I don't have to worry. I don't play sports games or buy BF/COD style games. And the 10% savings would require me to buy 5 EA games new each year. I don't see myself doing that.
I also question why this is XBO only and not available via the Origin service on PC...
It only seems like good value if you are really into EA games, are prepared to only buy those games digitally (which are usually higher priced than retail stores thus negating the discount), and find value in the vault games most of which will have the next annual sequel on the way.
So to me there isnt much value in it.
When it comes to anything EA: do not trust.
If it where up to them we would be using micro transactions to buy ammo clips and a new soccer ball.
NEVER TRUST EVIL.
Meh, seems way over priced and it will have old games. Games don't carry value like they did in the past. Most games get their prices slashed after 3-6 months then bargain bin. I only get digital releases during sales but I can see that the convenience is slowly killing the physical market even now.
I'd like to see the comparison between the sales of Titan fall Digital versus physical. It would be telling that the DRM issue is getting buried by convenience. Gears 3 was five bucks on Live recently and it's one game I play all the time. Switching back to it after a few hours of Fallout 3 without switching discs is great.
Also, besides the RROD, the biggest repairs made on 360s were disc drive replacements. This essentially kills the need for it.
Digital is here to stay.