by Phoenix, HSM team writer

Did Sony do the right thing by passing on EA Access?

Let’s look at the reason Sony gave for passing on this pay-to-play program. Sony has stated that they do not see this program as a benefit in value for their customers, as it would be asking for an additional $4.99/month for EA games only.

Could it be true that Sony is looking out for their customers, or are they looking out for their own bottom line? Sony already has a success in pay-to-play programs with PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation Now likewise looks poised to succeed. This EA program, while it might bring more money to Sony’s cash drawers, is it something gamers would have to find a value in. By passing on this program, Sony assumes to know their customer base pretty well — or perhaps they just want to make sure nothing directly competes with PlayStation Now.

Personally, the EA Pass doesn’t appeal to me, but then I’ve only ever played Dragon Age from EA. Looking at Sony’s programs in place now,  it might in the long run have more problems for subscribers than good to add EA. You may of course feel differently and think Microsoft customers are getting a great service with the EA program, but here’s my take on it:

This program will only let you play EA games.  PS Plus offers games from a variety of developers. It would be an extra $4.99 a month to have that access, on top of the subscription to PS Plus or PS Now (assuming the latter eventually offers a subscription model). Though $4.99 isn’t a lot if you were to have it, it is an additional cost. If you were to have problems with your subscription you would most likely be directed to Sony customer Service, not EA, as it states in the EA agreement with Microsoft:  http://www.ea.com/eaaccess/terms.html.

Microsoft customers will be dealing with Microsoft to correct any problems, EA will not be responsible. My son has a 360 and I’ve seen how customer service operates; most of the time they are more than swamped already, so add this to the pool and it hardly makes things easier.

Sure, Sony customers can say the same about customer service at Sony sometimes, but they are Sony issues. As it is now, most contact with customer service can be a nightmare; why cause more of the same with the confusion this program might cause in its operation? Then there is the need for yet another account, as you have to have an EA account on top of the Microsoft one.

What would happen if other content developers offered the same type of service: access to only their games for an additional monthly fee? How would Sony justify which ones to add and which not to? I mean, it could still happen that other developers decide to do the same, but how many fees and accounts before the hassle consumes you? Would there be separate accounts, or would they all work under PS Plus? And if so — if you lost your Plus account — would you lose the other programs as well? How would it be separated out? What would happen to your paid content? I’ve had problems with the Plus symbol disappearing from my account and my games showing a lock when my account was still active; if that happens, would I be locked out of all accounts until custumer service sorted it out? To me it just seems like a potentially confusing gob of customer service mess.

Though I am not a hardcore gamer, I think Sony sidestepped a pile with their decision not to add this service to its already profitable pay programs.

Granted, I’m not saying Sony made their decision because of the gamers solely; I’m certain they considered all the pros and cons they could, on their end more than not, but in the end it is probably best for all. I do think that Sony understands that their customers have come to expect a certain amount of variety and value for their money in extra programs. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Sony does appear to listen to its customers; after all, the cross-platform play of the PlayStation consoles is a value that can’t be beat easily.

Now, true, with the EA program you would have access to EA’s list of most popular games at $4.99 a month; that would include Battlefield 4, Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14 and Peggle 2, while other titles would be added in the future. You would get a discount on EA games and DLC with a five-day early access to Dragon Age: Inquisition, FIFA 15, NFL 15, and NBA 15. For some EA fans this is a savings over the cost of rentals or pre-owned purchases, and perhaps enough; but Sony didn’t see it as a significant enough value in the long run.

http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/home/latest-trailer

It will be interesting to see if Sony was right. A lot likely hinges on the success of PlayStation Now.

Share