The initiative offers access to old titles and price cuts for new ones

Jul 29, 2014 21:12 GMT  ·  By

Video game publisher Electronic Arts announces that it is launching a new initiative called EA Access for the Xbox One home console from Microsoft, which is designed to offer gamers easy access to a variety of titles for a small monthly subscription.

The official announcements states that "The service is being rolled out in beta to a limited number of players today, but it will launch for everyone on Xbox One soon. At EA, we are always looking for new ways to make it easier for gamers to play more EA games across all platforms, and we are excited about what EA Access will offer to players on Xbox One."

Buying the EA Access service, which costs as low as 4.99 dollars or Euro a month, unlocks access to a new Vault, which is filled with Electronic Arts-made titles, including for the beta period FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4, with close to another 100 titles to be added as soon as possible.

An annual membership is set to sell for 29.99 dollars or Euro.

All those who are part of the new initiative will also be able to get a 10 percent price cut when buying new titles on the Xbox One using the official Store, including titles like Dragon Age: Inquisition and NHL 15, but also membership to a service like Premium for Battlefield 4 and even points for the FIFA Ultimate Team mode.

Electronic Arts also states, "Membership in EA Access lets you experience trials of new EA games up to five days before the release date. It starts with Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA LIVE 15, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, but more are on the way. If you decide to buy the game, your progress will carry over so you can pick up right where you left off."

The publisher says that the EA Access membership will be soon offered in local retail stores, including GameStop and Amazon.

The company is not willing to say exactly how many players will be part of the beta program for the initiative and when it will be rolled out to all those who own an Xbox One.

It's also unclear whether a similar concept is being tested on the PlayStation 4 gaming console from Sony.

The EA Access initiative seems like it can offer good value for the most hardcore of players and might end up boosting sales of both Electronic Arts games and the Xbox One.