During E3 2018, EA announced a new premium service called Origin Access Premier. It lets players access EA’s new titles before they come out as well as instant access to over 100 games from their vault. And now we know when it is coming out. The Origin Access Premier release date is July 30 and will be $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year. In addition to that news, EA has also quietly discontinued their “On the House” deal that periodically gave away free EA games on PC.
EA announced the Origin Access Premier release date in their investor call today, according to Variety. Playing full EA games a week or so before they come out is one of the biggest draws of the service. For example, instead of waiting until February 22 to play Anthem, Origin Access Premier members can dive in on February 15. This also means there will be no trials like the basic version of the Origin Access service.
Premier subscribers will also save 10 percent on Origin purchases like full games, pre-orders, expansions, and more. EA’s digital vault will also always be open for members to download and play. Some titles include The Witness, Inside, and Mass Effect: Andromeda. It is launching only on PC and EA has not said if it will come to consoles or not.
Origin Access Premier is a step up from the aforementioned basic Origin Access system. The base version is cheaper ($4.99 per month and $29.99 per year) and comes with more restrictions. Base members get access to the vault of games and 10 percent discount, but only get 10-hour trials of EA titles five days before they come out. It came out in late 2014 for PC and Xbox One.
With one service coming, EA has decided to secretly kill another. Their “On the House” promotion has quietly gone away, as evidenced by the broken link to that part of the website and a supposed customer service call with EA on Reddit. Games in the “On the House” service would be free on PC for a short period of time. Past giveaways have included Dead Space, Peggle, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, and more.
