Xbox Game Pass Adds EA Play for Free

EA Play is joining Xbox Game Pass for free. Alongside the launch date and pricing reveal for Xbox Series X, Microsoft announced that EA Play — EA's games subscription service, earlier known as EA Access / Origin Access — will now be included at no additional cost with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and Xbox Game Pass for PC. That means Ultimate members get access to EA Play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Windows 10, while Xbox Game Pass for PC members get EA Play on Windows 10. The complimentary EA Play subscription with Xbox Game Pass will be available in “holiday 2020”.

This means EA's biggest franchises — FIFA, Titanfall, Need for Speed, Battlefield, Mass Effect, The Sims, Skate, and Madden NFL — will be available on Xbox Game Pass in a few months, making Microsoft's subscription a better deal than before. In India, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs Rs. 699 per month, while Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) comes in at Rs. 329 per month. The latter is now a terrific deal for PC gamers, given EA Play itself costs Rs. 315 per month.

Those who pay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will also get access to EA titles on their Android devices via Xbox Game Streaming, available September 15 in select markets. India is not part of the initial cloud rollout.

An EA Play subscription offers other benefits too. Mind you, it's not the same as an EA Play Pro subscription that includes unlimited access to select new EA titles. With EA Play, new launches take nearly a year or more to show up.

EA has been trying to expand access to its subscription service. It recently arrived on Steam at the end of August. EA Play is also available on PC via Origin, PS4, and Xbox One.

“Delivering EA Play to Xbox Game Pass members contributes to our vision of connecting players to the games they love and each other, wherever they want to play,” EA strategic growth SVP Mike Blank said in a prepared statement. “After five years of delivering subscription services to the Xbox community, we are excited to make it easier for them to enjoy both memberships together.”

Microsoft gaming partnerships & ecosystem CVP Sarah Bond added: “Since we launched Xbox Game Pass, you've shared that it creates amazing experiences for you and your communities. Together, we have seen it amplify the power of gaming – to unlock discovery of new adventures, bring fun and enjoyment to a day, and make it possible to connect from afar. With EA Play bringing the best of EA to Game Pass across devices there is no better time to jump in to the Game Pass experience.”

Xbox Game Pass has over 10 million members worldwide. EA Play crossed 5 million members in October last year.