Origin Access Premier PC Games Subscription Service Announced

Origin Access is EA's subscription service for PC users akin to its Xbox service, EA Access. At EA Play, EA's pre-E3 2018 event, the company revealed Origin Access Premier. It's a premium version of Origin Access allowing members full access to all games on the platform. With Origin Access you had a 10 hour trial period for new EA games. In Origin Access Premier, this does not apply. What this means is, you can play games like Anthem, Battlefield V, and FIFA 19 with no strings attached. Well, aside from the one requiring you to use Origin Access Premier.

"Millions of players have experienced the fun of playing more games through our subscription programs, and today we’re taking another groundbreaking step with Origin Access Premier," said Electronic Arts’ Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson. "Origin Access Premier unlocks unprecedented levels of choice and value for players who love PC games. For the first time in a subscription, you’re getting new games like Madden NFL 19, FIFA 19, Battlefield V and Anthem, and full access to more than 100 games from EA and other publishers with a single membership. We’re thrilled to be opening up this new way for players to access great games, with the freedom to play what they want, whenever they want."

EA has slated Origin Access Premier for a nebulous "Summer" release window. We won't be surprised however, to see it out the same time as Madden NFL 19 which is debuting on August 10, if not earlier. Aside from detailing the service, EA announced how much it would cost.

Origin Access Premier price

Origin Access Premier price is $100 for the year and $15 per month in the US. In India, Origin Access Premier price is Rs. 999 a month and Rs. 6,499 per year. Comparatively, a standard Origin Access membership is Rs. 315 a month and Rs. 1,990 per year.

Origin Access Basic vs. Origin Access Premier

Origin Access Basic benefits:

• Try out new EA  games for up to 10 hours, starting five days before release, with Play First Trials.
• Access to The Vault, a library of games that gets titles from non-EA developers too such as the Batman Arkham series.  
• 10 percent discount in the Origin Store on full games, pre-orders, expansions, FIFA points, and more.

Origin Access Premier benefits:

• Full, unlimited access to EA games, starting five days before they release. No limited time trials. Play the full game starting five days before launch without purchasing it separately, until you cancel your Premier membership.
• Access to The Vault.
• 10 percent discount in the Origin Store on full games, pre-orders, expansions, FIFA points, and more.

At the moment you can sign up to be notified when Origin Access Premier is available. It's an interesting experiment from EA, particularly when you consider the PC audience hasn't exactly been kind to its advances due to its games sporting consumer unfriendly DRM like Denuvo.

If you're a fan of video games, check out Transition, Gadgets 360's gaming podcast. You can listen to it via Apple Podcasts or RSS, or just listen to this week's episode by hitting the play button below.