EA Sports announced the launch of Season Ticket, a new subscription service that offers well-rounded sports-loving gamers a range of benefits, in a press release this morning. For a yearly rate of $24.99 / 2000 MS Points, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users get early access to releases in the NFL, NHL, FIFA, Tiger Woods and NCAA Football franchises, as well as discounts and specialized web content.
The early game access advantage is the main draw here, but there's a pretty significant catch that you should be aware of. Starting three days before a game's release, players will be able to download a digital version onto their console of choice. Here's the thing though: That download expires after the three days are up and the game arrives in retail locations.
I'm sure none of us were really expecting EA to give away five full yearly releases plus the other bonuses for less than $30 per year. The digital download expiration is simply an unexpected way of ensuring a fair deal for both sides, especially with any unlocked content (Achievements/Trophies, game saves, etc.) carries over into the retail version of the game, should you purchase it. If you run out once a year to buy Madden NFL and nothing more, this might not be the program for you. Sports fans with more varied tastes will want to consider it though.
Members also get a 20 percent discount on all downloadable content released for participating EA Sports titles as well as access to premium web content. The first items to be offered are Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12 which "provide a deeper set of customization tools and abilities within Creation Center to build your own teams and tournaments."
Finally, all members receive a membership badge, both a physical version and an EASPORTS.com profile-connected digital version. Sadly, no decoder ring to go along with it.
Comments
Displaying 1–14 of 14
TheDarkToken
SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER ATTEMPT FROM EA TO TAKE OUR MONEY FOR WHAT SEEMS TO BE COMMON PLACE FOR OTHER GAMES OR DEV'S
STGTaskForce1
Nintendo is lowering the price of the 3DS and that's because people weren't buying them. If enough people wait on Madden of Call of Duty, say 3 weeks then EA or Activision could panic and lower the price on the game or on the DLC. I pretty sure GameStop would panic and drop the price. The bottom line is money is power and we shouldn't give it out so easily.
STGTaskForce1
Activion with Call of Duty Elite subcription and EA with this season pass / subcription. Yeah it will will proably succeed but that's because gamers are so disorganize that they won't collectively boycott EA or Activision.
If you want to be in control then use the power of withholding money from them to make them do what we want instead of them nickle and dimeing us for the full game.
NINJA_KITTENS
I think itd be interesting to see an MMO type subscription service for sports games. I hate sports games, but so many of my friends spend $120/160+ a year on the new releases of Madden, FIFA, or NHL. Why not just have a monthly $10 subscription and have access to X (3?) amount of EA sports games. its guaranteed money for EA (happy now EA? you have my money already). I could actually see this happening in the FPS and racing realms of the gaming universe too, allowing greater flexibility for gamers to play new titles. I dont buy many games a year just because its too expensive, so why not pay x amount of money to play x amount of titiles in a year? just throwin out ideas... oh and to this story? yeah EA just stop
McBeesj
call me back when you are talking about Battlefield
thejoker959
it takes two days to download a game anyways... i mean cmon now
bolo73
I have a bad feeling they will leave things out of there games so you have to buy the subscription service. It might not be a current activity but something new.
This smells of am MMO free play format. Just play the game just like others. OPPS, you can not do what the subscribers are doing now you must pay 24.99 on top of what every the game costs.
lowkevmic
I think EA spend all those extra profits on a lifetime supply of lube. Especially the way they screw their fans of sports games.
But the saddest part is people will still sign up for it, and pay 30 bucks for a badge and 3 day demo.
cpi721
Ok, so I can get 3 days of earlier access. To what? A broken game? I'm sitting 3 weeks into owning NCAA football 2012 and I still can't play an online dynasty with my friends. And of course, EA still has not comments, solutions of meaning, or an ETA on a patch to a major game problem that should have been fixed before launch. But hey, it's ok, next year you can pay more for 3 days earlier access to this garbage!
firefist
Nickles and freaking dimes...... suckers, line up please.
EarstotheGround
and a membership badge?
Can I please be part of your un-cool kids club? please? please?.....I wonder if some t_wat would actaully wear a physical one around.
TheBRADLeyB
Yeah....
NFL, NHL, FIFA, Tigerwoods, NCAA Football series is only 5 titles and it's only 3 days.
I mean if you start downloading 12:01a on Saturday Morning you've got 74 Hours to play the play?... Well don't forget you also have to download the game and I assume you need to be connected to the internet to play the digital copies (otherwise you'd just download the DC and then disconnect your internet and modify your systems settings).
I assume your Digital Copy isn't even a real copy of the game. It has to be only select features or modes because if you've already downloaded the game (and EA has gone through the effort to make the game available for download via XBL and PSN) then why not just have people pay 60 bucks the day of release so they don't have to go and buy a hardcopy of the game?...
Anyway for 3 days early access of the only two games I'd like (Madden, NCAA) I'll stick to not doing this pass. Even though it's tempting to GamerPoint Harvest the 5 titles on the DC copies I don't think it's be worth it...
EarstotheGround
Yawn....
Even as a Fifa and Madden fan, a 3 day early release is hardly worth the effort of waiting through a digital download, while the discounts are laughable (and clearly dont include any Fifa Ultimate Team purchases)
Additional revenue stream anyone?
Pass.
MiracleOnIce80
Wow. Ea found yet another way to price gouge. Coming soon from Ea "crack dealer". I mean why not. They've destroyed so many good titles they may as well start slowly killing us off physically while they're at it...
Displaying 1–14 of 14
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