EA is Launching a Subscription Gaming Service

Electronic Arts is embracing the Netflix model.

Netflix has made some waves in the past few years by transitioning to a streaming model at a monthly subscription.  The model has found so much success that Netflix accounts for nearly a third of total internet traffic!

Microsoft and EA are teaming up to provide a similar services for the Xbox One.  The new subscription game service will run at a rate of $5 a month, or a subscription for an entire year can be purchased for $30.

EA Access, as it is called, is currently available as a beta and includes access to popular franchise titles, such as Madden, FIFA, Battlefield, and Peggle, with more to come.

This format could prove very successful for EA, as it is not only very attractively priced for consumers, but it also helps lock people in to EA’s environment, which makes multiplayer and other community functions more popular as well.

Obviously the biggest determining factor of EAs success with this model will be it’s ability to continue to put out attractive, popular, quality games.  It’s existing vault of titles will definitely attract new EA subscribers, and possibly even draw some new Xbox One subscribers.

Despite the benefits of this program, there will be a cap on potential, since EA Access is not cross platform.  EA will not be able to become the Netlix of gaming as long as they have an exclusive deal with Microsoft, but if they are able to expand to Sony, Nintendo, and PC gaming, then we just might see some Netflix level disruption in the gaming industry.


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Author Profile: Consumer Expert Stephen Colbert

All things tech, especially if it's portable or Android. I live in mobile, but if it's happening and it's geeky, then I probably know about it and have an opinion on it. You can find me in short form on Twitter @smcolbert, or long form at Geek5auce.com. Yes that's my real name.

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