That $5 per month you are (maybe) paying to Electronic Arts just got you another game.
Publisher EA just added racer Need for Speed: Rivals to the list of games EA Access subscribers get as part of their premium membership. Xbox One owners who pay the monthly fee (or $30 annually) for the company’s subscription service can open up the EA Access app right now to start downloading a full version of the police-chase simulator for no additional charge. As with previous EA Access Vault games, as the publisher calls them, you will maintain “ownership” of Rivals for as long as you maintain your subscription.
In addition to Need for Speed, EA also just released a trial version of the upcoming hockey game NHL 15. The sports sim is due out Tuesday, but Access members can try the full product for six non-consecutive hours right now. If players then decide to go on and purchase NHL 15 — either digitally or physically — the progress they made in the trial will carry over. EA Access members also get a 10 percent discount if they purchase any EA title or downloadable content digitally through the Xbox Games Store.
These latest additions are part of an ongoing effort EA is making to build value into EA Access. The company launched the subscription program Aug. 11, and it is obviously hoping to create a reliable revenue stream with its digital games. To do that, it’ll need to convince Xbox One owners — EA Access isn’t available on PS4 –to get and maintain a subscription.
Need for Speed: Rivals is the fifth game EA has added to the Vault. It joins Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, and Peggle 2. An issue that the publisher could run into is that it doesn’t have enough in its back catalog to continue adding titles to the Vault. Really, the only older ones it hasn’t added at this point are sci-fi shooter Titanfall, cartoony shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and basketball sim NBA Live 14.
Even before EA Access, the publisher noted that it is seeing an increase in the performance of its digital products. In July, the company noted that digital downloads make up between 10 and 15 percent of all sales when a new game debuts. That’s slightly up from the 10 percent peak from previous years. EA Access could push that number even higher with its built-in discount for digital EA goods.