Electronic Arts knows media is dominated by subscriptions. Relatively few people buy albums, movies, or even books anymore because they can pay a monthly fee to access more entertainment than even the most voracious bingers would be able to consume. EA is betting the same business model will expand to games, and it's reportedly planning to launch its Origin Access Premier service on July 30 to get in on the action.
EA CFO Blake Jorgensen revealed Origin Access Premier's launch date during an earnings call on July 26. The service was revealed at E3 2018 as a new membership tier for the existing Origin Access offering, which lets you pay $5 per month or $30 per year to access select titles and play some games before they debut. It's not a bad deal, but it's limited in scope, which is why it'll become Origin Access Basic when Premier debuts.
EA previously said that Origin Access Premier will include all new EA titles, rather than whatever games the company figures it can't sell for $60 anymore, for $15 per month or $100 per year. Just remember that as with any subscription service, as soon as you unsubscribe, everything you've paid for will be gone. That probably isn't an issue if you only play through a game once--or don't plan to cancel--but it's worth noting.
Also on July 26, EA published a new support page explaining what people can expect from Origin Access Premier. The service will also provide unlimited access to new games five days before they officially debut, give you a 10% discount on games you decide to buy from Origin, and let you play titles from The Vault. Origin Access Basic will offer similar perks, but only let you hop in to pre-release titles for 10 hours.
Now is probably the best time EA will find to launch Origin Access Premier. The company has a lineup of flagship titles just waiting to debut: Madden NFL 19, FIFA 19, Battlefield V, and Anthem are all set to debut within the next six months. People who are into sports games and first-person shooters might be more willing to play all those games if it costs $15 per month or $100 for the year instead of the full $60 at retail.
