Back in 2020, around the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Microsoft made a big move by integrating EA Play into the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and (eventually) PC Game Pass memberships, and we questioned at the time whether it’d be a short-term thing to sell consoles, or a long-term deal that could potentially last many years.
Well, it was the latter! We’re now almost five years into the partnership between Xbox and EA Play, and there are no signs of it going away anytime soon. Nobody knows what was inked between the two parties in terms of the deal’s length back in 2020, but it was mentioned as something that was “going to remain in the service for quite a while“.
Quite a while was an understatement, although it wasn’t confirmed that EA Play would “never” leave Game Pass either.
Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg in 2020: “So right now we have a significant partnership with EA Play. And while we’re not going to say never, never, but this is not something that’s just a short period of time. So this is a significant addition, and this is going to remain in the service for quite a while.”
Did we see it lasting five years? Probably not, but we’re certainly grateful! It’s been amazing to enjoy all the countless EA Sports games, Star Wars titles, Battlefield, It Takes Two, Need for Speed, Mass Effect and so much more during that time. Personally, I think having an EA Play membership makes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate way better value for money.
There’s an argument to suggest that Xbox could move away from EA Play and perhaps look at partnering with another subscription service such as Ubisoft+ or even GTA+ (unlikely!), but who knows what kind of deals would be required for those – and I’d have thought EA Play makes much more business sense when you consider how popular the annual EA Sports releases are alone. FC and Madden must be so popular through Xbox Game Pass!
But what about you? How long do you think this Xbox and EA Play partnership will last, and have you been happy with it until now? Let us know down in the polls and comments below.
How Much Have You Enjoyed EA Play As Part Of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass? (162 votes)
- I’ve loved it, it’s been amazing to have!35%
- It’s been good, I’ve enjoyed it35%
- It’s been alright, a decent extra for sure17%
- I haven’t used it that much, but I’ve enjoyed it here and there8%
- I don’t hate the idea, but I’ve spent extra money on something I don’t really use2%
- I think it’s been a waste of a partnership!2%
- Other1%
How Much Longer Do You Think The Partnership Will Last? (142 votes)
- It’ll end in 2025!7%
- Another year-or-so13%
- Probably 2-3 years25%
- It’s not ending anytime soon, 4-5 years27%
- Over 5 years6%
- It’s never going to end as long as Game Pass exists!23%
[source gamingbible.co.uk, via News: Xbox Exec Suggests EA Play Has Joined Game Pass For The Long Term]
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.