When Xbox launchedXbox Game Passin June of 2017, players were understandably shocked at the concept. The idea was simple: players have a subscription where they have access to over 100 games, including first-party Xbox titles, that can be downloaded and played whenever they want. Over time, the service evolved constantly adding new titles to its library, adding a PC version, and creating a new tier of membership calledXbox Game Pass Ultimate, which included both the console and PC Game Passes along with Xbox Live Gold for $15 a month.
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To take EA Play subscriptions to the next level, EA could follow Xbox’s lead byeliminating its 10 hour trial systemand just making its new releases available in full on release day. This practice could essentially serve two functions for EA: getting its new games in the hands of more players and helping to patch over the perceived ill will between the publisher and fans.
Growing Lesser-Known Game Audiences
Players that are familiar with EA’s history are likely aware of the release tragedy that wasTitanfall 2. For those that don’t know,Titanfall 2, the critically-acclaimed sci-fi FPS that helped spawnApex Legends, had the misfortune of releasing in-between 2 FPS giants in October of 2016. One wasCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which took the historic shooter franchise in a sci-fi route.
The other, surprisingly enough, was EA’s ownBattlefield 1which saw players taking part in World War 1 battles. By releasing in the middle of these two classic franchises,Titanfall 2was the odd game out and saw its player base dwindle quickly, despite critics seemingly preferring it over the other FPS titles. Thankfully, the game has seen a small resurgence recently withTitanfall 2’s inclusion on Steam.
With this information in mind,a possibleTitanfall 3could benefit from being available day one on EA Play. Many developers who have released their games on Xbox Game Pass have noted that their audience sizes were far larger than they originally planned thanks to the subscription service. With Xbox Game Pass, players likely see downloading a game and giving it a try is a no risk situation seeing as there’s no extra investment necessary. This likely could have helpedTitanfall 2’s problem as the game’s name didn’t have the same weight behind it that aCall of Dutyor aBattlefielddoes.
Regaining Good Will with Players
It’s no secret that players aren’t exactly fond of EA for the most part. Over the past several years, the publisher has been enthralled in many gaming controversies such as the aggressive microtransactions in bothStar Wars Battlefront 2andFIFA, awful bugs and glitches inMass Effect: Andromeda, and the seeminglynever-ending saga that isAnthem. These missteps with the gaming community have stacked over time and have seemingly caused players to perceive EA as a company that only cares about money, even if that isn’t true.
Partnering with Xbox Game Pass could be seen as a step in the right direction for realigning with players, and eliminating its 10 hour trial period on new games for day one access via it (and thus via Game Pass) could elevate this good will. While it is unlikely, it would likely go a long way for the Xbox ecosystem, for the player perception of EA, and for the players themselves.
