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.

In case you forgot about Origin Access among the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus offerings this month, Electronic Arts has some new offerings for its subscription service. Jo-Mei Games’ Sea of Solitude is now available in Origin Access Basic after initially being available only in the Premier tier. It’s part of the EA Originals label along with Unravel 1 and 2 and Fe.

There’s also Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds, an RPG which is inspired by classics like Final Fantasy and Legend of Dragon, and Worms WMD, an excellent local multiplayer game. Origin Access Premier subscribers get Metroidvania title Mable and The Wood from Triplevision Games.

Origin Access Basic costs $4.99 while the Premier Tier costs $14.99. Along with the Vault which contains a number of older titles in the Dragon Age series, Mass Effect, FIFA and so on, the Premier tier also offers access to recent EA titles like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Many titles, like last year’s Anthem and Need for Speed Heat, are available a week prior to their official launch as well. Stay tuned for more details on titles to join the Origin Access library.

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

Account security is no joke in this day and age and to celebrate National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, EA is offering a new initiative. If you have an Origin profile on PC and enable login verification, you’ll receive one free month of Origin Access for free. Head here for more details on how to set this up.

There are a few conditions, of course. The process has to be done in October and will start on or after November 1st. Also, this is Origin Access Basic which provides the burgeoning Vault of titles to access. Certain games are locked behind Origin Access Premier though. But don’t worry – you should still be able to play titles like Anthem without a hitch.

If you already have Origin Access Basic, then EA won’t charge you for November so that basically qualifies as a free month. Origin Access Premier players who enable login verification also won’t be billed in November but will receive a month of Premier for free instead. It’s a pretty good deal, all in all, especially with titles Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Need for Speed Heat out next month.

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.

Electronic Arts’ July lineup for Origin Access is looking pretty good, especially for Basic subscribers. The titles this month include They Are Billions (previously available via Origin Access Premier), Frostpunk, Moonlighter, and FIFA 19. Of course, Premier members can also get their hands on new games like Sea of Solitude, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and later in the month, Madden NFL 20.

However, not all games will be available right now. Sea of Solitude, Moonlighter, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and Frostpunk can be currently played in their respective subscription tiers. They Are Billions will be added on June 18th, and might be worth trying out if you’re wary about the new campaign.

FIFA 19 and Madden NFL 20 will round out the month. The former arrives on July 24th. Madden NFL 20 follows EA’s practice of releasing full-price games a week early on Origin Access Premier. It’s great for trying out all the new changes, like the X-Factor abilities and Face of the Franchise: QB1 mode.

Electronic Arts recently announced that EA Access, its subscription service for games on consoles, would finally be coming to PS4 in July. In the conference call following its Q4 and FY2019 results (as noted by Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad), EA said that subscriptions are “important” for the company. It noted that subscription services would be coming to “more” platforms with more games and better tools.

The publisher is also looking to add third party games and generally experimenting with new titles it adds to the Vault. Unsurprisingly, it looks at the engagement within the service to figure out which games, new titles, new IP, and genres to add later. Players are also trying games and series that they’ve never tried before thanks to EA/Origin Access.

EA Access and Origin Access combined have over 3.5 million subscribers, which is no small feat. EA has expressed interest in streaming and is currently looking into a streaming-with-subscription combo service in the future. Specific numbers for Origin Access Premier, which is used for playing new games a week early, weren’t provided.

$EA Conference Call:

– Subscriptions are important for EA. Will bring subscription services to more platforms + add more games + improve technology/tools.
– Subscriptions are profitable for EA.
– Experimenting with new games launching into the service + adding 3rd party games

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 7, 2019

$EA Conference Call (Continued):

– Addition of EA Access on PS4 will be a huge benefit.
– Have over 3.5m subscribers across EA Access and Origin Access
– Are looking into streaming + subscription combo for the future.

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 7, 2019

$EA Conference Call (Continued):

– Many players are trying games/series they've never played before due to the large library on Access/Origin.
– Use engagement seen inside the subscription service to decide which games to add to the service + greenlight new titles/genres/IP.

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 7, 2019

If you couldn’t partake in all the Star Wars deals to celebrate May the 4th, then don’t worry. Electronic Arts has added 12 Star Wars titles to the Vault in Origin Access. These include Star Wars: Republic Commando, Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Classic), Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, and many more.

Origin Access on PC only requires you to pay $5 per month or $30 per year to access its library of over 200 games. You also get discounts on all digital content from EA, along with limited time trials of upcoming games. Check below for the full breakdown of Star Wars games added to the Vault.

• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
• Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Classic, 2005)
• Star Wars: Republic Commando
• Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D
• Star Wars: Dark Forces
• Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
• Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
• Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
• Star Wars: Starfighter
• Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
• Star Wars: Rebellion

Newer Star Wars offerings are on the way, with Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order out on November 15th. It tells the story of Cal Kestis, who’s in hiding after Order 66. That doesn’t last for long though, as he eventually has to outrun the Sith’s Inquisitors and the Second Sister. A proper gameplay reveal has been confirmed for next month at EA Play.

If investing in Origin Access Premier for early access to full-games like BioWare’s Anthem or DICE’s Battlefield 5 doesn’t seem appealing, then don’t worry- there might still be more incentive. Electronic Arts has added several new games to the Origin Access Vault, which is fully accessible to Basic subscribers (at $5 per month, or $30 per year). The biggest is perhaps Madden NFL 19 – it released in August 2018 and made several improvements, while adding a new Longshot story (it has its shortcomings though, so keep that in mind).

Gone Home is the next best option, offering a compelling first person narrative that’s equal parts creepy and insightful. The Fullbright Company’s newest title Tacoma is unfortunately not available in the Vault, but that might change down the line. If you’re a Star Wars fan though, there’s plenty to keep you covered.

LucasArts’ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1 and 2 have been added to the Vault. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, a compilation of the first three games, along with LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars and Star Wars TIE Fighter Special Edition are also available. Overall, in addition to the dozens of other titles in the Vault, these are some pretty good offerings overall.