Once upon a time, EA left the Steam platform to create their own launcher and storefront as multiple other large companies have done over recent years. However, while their launcher (Origin) isn’t going anywhere, it seems they are now returning to Steam with several high profile releases. One thing that is still missing is EA Access, the companies subscription service that has been tied to Origin on PC since its initial launch. It’s been said the service would come to Steam soon, and then again in the fall. And it seems we’re finally on the cusp of getting it.

While there is no official date or announcement yet, a new page for EA Access has appeared on Steam, which you can see here. This most likely means that the service is pretty close to coming to Steam, completeing EA’s full return to Valve’s storefront.

EA Access is a subscription service that gives you access to a backlog of EA’s titles as well as extended trials, betas and demos of new and upcoming games such as the recent UFC 4 trial. The service is now available through PS4, Xbox One and PC via Origin, and we’ll let you know when the service officially comes to Steam.

Electronic Arts’ latest iteration in the EA Sports UFC series is still a few days out from worldwide release. Of course, those who subscribe to EA Access can play through the trial right now. This is limited to EA Access on PS4 and Xbox One – sorry, Origin Access players. Check out the trailer below to see it in action.

EA Sports UFC 4 carries on the spirit of previous games but makes a number of changes and adds new features. Ultimate Team Mode is out and Career Mode has been revamped as players developer their fighter across different disciplines and weight classes while making friends and rivals. The combat has also gone through a number of changes from the takedowns to the ground and pound and submissions.

Those interested in online play can still partake in Online World Championships but there are also new Blitz Battles, which are tournament-based fights with rotating rulesets. For non-EA Access players, the complete EA Sports UFC 4 experience is out on August 14th. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days (including those PS5 and Xbox Series X versions rated by the ESRB).

An update on EA Access coming to Steam was provided at EA Play. It’s still “coming soon” but that “soon” actually means this Fall. As a subscription service, EA Access provides a vault with several games to play for free. This includes titles like Titanfall 2 and The Sims 4 which recently launched on Steam.

Along with access to the vault, EA Access also lets subscribers try out early timed trials for its upcoming games. One can also benefit from a 10 percent discount on all EA digital content, which includes DLC. There’s no word yet on whether something akin to Origin Access Premium, which allows for playing full games one week per their worldwide release, will be coming to Steam as well.

Currently, EA Access is available for Xbox One and PS4. Origin Access is exclusive to Origin on PC and consists of Basic and Premium tiers. The offerings in both vaults are slightly different so it should be interesting to see which games are available for subscribers on Steam. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Electronic Arts announced back in October 2019 that it would bring several of its title to Steam. Though it started slow with Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it’s since released a number of titles like Unravel Two, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Sea of Solitude, and much more. Furthermore, it’s touting that EA Access will be coming “soon” to the platform as well.

How soon is “soon” remains to be seen, but it could launch at next week’s EA Play Live 2020. The digital event will be streamed on June 11th and will feature the publisher’s line-up for the rest of the year, with FIFA 21, Madden NFL 21, and more expected to be showcased. Will we see these same titles coming to Steam at the same as Origin? That remains to be seen.

EA Access is currently available for Xbox One and PS4, with its Origin launcher having Origin Access. There are two tiers for the service on PC. Theree’s Origin Access Basic, which provides access to dozens of EA and third party titles, along with free trials of upcoming games, for $4.99. Then there’s the Premier tier for access to full games one week before the worldwide launch for $14.99.

EA’s Origin Access Premium, which is the higher tier version of their PC fork of their EA Access subscription service (yes, I know that’s a lot to remember) gets EA’s games available in the catalog, ready to play from the get go, unlike regular EA/Origin Access, which have to wait months, if not more, for EA’s latest releases to be added to their vault.

So of course it should come as no surprise to anyone that this month’s batch of additions to Origin Access Premium includes EA’s two big hits released this month—Need for Speed Heat, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Both games are available on the service now, alongside Tacoma, as well as a new game named Little Misfortune, the bittersweet story of a young boy who tries to find happiness.

Honestly, though, both games are great enough to purchase, so if you don’t have them already, and don’t have Origin Access Premium, get out there and change that.

Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the next major release coming this week. Unlike many of EA’s other recent Star Wars efforts, it’s a single player-only game with no multiplayer (or microtransactions). It’s also bucking the trend of being available early for subscribers of EA Access and Origin Access.

Usually, the publisher’s service offers a ten hour trial for upcoming games to Origin Access Basic and EA Access subscribers. Origin Access Premier subscribers would usually get access to the full game one week before launch. Neither is happening for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in order to “reduce the risk of spoilers” as per EA.

Of course, if the game isn’t super-long, this could be a way for EA to hide the fact and not jeopardize potential purchases. Origin Access Premier subscribers will get access to the Deluxe Version at launch which includes a Bee-D-1 skin, art book, behind the scenes video and Crimson Mantis skin. So the service isn’t a complete bust.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is out on November 15th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Reviews will be going live on November 14th at 9 PM PST.

https://twitter.com/OriginInsider/status/1193957802386939906

It was several years ago that EA launched their EA Access service. Releasing on the Xbox One and PC it featured access to lots of games from the company’s backlog, along with extended demos of games and discounts. The service released on the PS4 earlier in the year, and it seems players are taking to it pretty well.

The service was not available on Sony’s console for much longer than its main competitor, Microsoft’s Xbox One, probably due to perceived competition of that service against Sony’s PS Now. During a conference call, EA said that the service has surpassed 5 million subscriptions and that subscriptions on the PS4 actually outpaced those on the Xbox One within the same time frame. No specific numbers were actually given. That’s quite impressive when you consider the time difference between launches as well as the huge amount of titles missing on the PS4 version due to lack of backwards compatibility.

EA Access is available across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC through their Origins storefront. It will also launch later in 2020 for Steam and bring many of their franchises to Vavle’s storefront.

Electronic Arts and Valve have announced a partnership to bring the former’s games to Steam. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be coming to Steam (and currently has its own store page) but other titles like The Sims 4 and Unravel Two will also be coming. Next year will see titles like FIFA 20, Apex Legends and Battlefield 5 arrive on Steam.

Origin and Steam players will also be able to play together in multiplayer titles. However, perhaps more interesting is the fact that EA Access, the publisher’s subscription service which contains over 100 games to play, will be available on Steam. It also allows for playing upcoming EA-published titles a week before their official launch.

Obviously there are bigger implications for the launch of EA Access on Steam, like larger player bases for games like Anthem, Battlefield 5 and so on. It also means that EA games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will reach more users than before. The game is out on November 15th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC – check out the launch trailer here.

BioWare’s Anthem has joined the Vault in Electronic Arts’ EA Access and Origin Access subscription service. For $5 per month, you can play the looter shooter in full on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The game launched in February 22nd for all platforms and was met with a lukewarm reception.

Despite earning $100 million in digital revenue at launch, Anthem has had it rough from the start. Criticism was leveled at its loot system, gameplay mechanics and the numerous glitches and performance issues (many which are still a problem). Of course, it also didn’t help when reports emerged of the game’s troubled development including the E3 2017 demo which was largely smoke and mirrors.

Since then, BioWare has added a new Stronghold to the game along with a new limited time event in the Cataclysm. New weapons, weapon types, armor and more have also been introduced. What lies ahead remains to be seen, especially since much of the game’s initial roadmap content was delayed. Stay tuned in the meantime.

When it comes to the streaming and subscription service future gaming is heading into, it’s hard to say where we’ll end up. Some think it’s simply the future and will improve things, while others are a lot more skeptical, for whatever reasons. One company that’s putting itself in the former category is EA, who thinks it’ll be a way to open the floodgates to new audiences.

In their most recent financial quarter report, CEO Andrew Wilson said that he saw the combination of subscription services (such as the company’s own EA Access) and streaming as a way for more people to have access to gaming than before. The high price of dedicated consoles or capable PCs are often a barrier that these things can, in theory, eliminate, as well as reach areas where that type of technology is simply not available.

“With games becoming an increasingly important part of our lives, subscriptions offer compelling new value propositions for players,” he said. “Other industries have demonstrated how subscriptions fundamentally shift consumer behavior. We consume more television content in different ways because of video subscriptions. We consume more music in different ways because of music subscription services. We believe the same is happening with games, where subscriptions can offer access to great content at great value with tremendously low friction.

“When combined with cloud streaming, the barriers are lowered even further, making it even more compelling to jump into new games and connect with new communities. The subscription opportunity is powerful for both players and game creators, and we’re continuing to invest in leading services on both console and PC.”

This is a sentiment that’s been echoed by others in the gaming industry. There’s still a lot of challenges that no one seems able to address, however, such as the existence of data caps and regions where internet access is limited. Either way, only time will tell, and the future is coming up on us pretty fast.