EA Play getting price increase, with annual subs up from £19.99 to £35.99

EA is increasing the price of its EA Play subscription service — which provides on-demand access to a selection of the publisher's titles, as well as early access to certain newer games — with the annual price of its standard tier set for a significant increase, up from £19.99 to £35.99.

EA Play launched in 2020 when EA made the decision to combine its previous EA Access and Origin Access packages into a single service. Since then, prices have remained at £3.99/month or £19.99/year for EA Play, and £14.99/month or £89.99/year for EA Play Pro — which includes access to the publisher's latest games as they launch, alongside other benefits.

As initially reported by GamesIndustry.biz, however, those prices are changing, in some cases seeing a substantial increase. EA's website now prices EA Play's standard tier at £5.99/$5.99 a month, while the annual price has been raised to £35.99/$39.99. EA Play Pro, meanwhile, is increasing to £16.99/$16.99 a month and £109.99/$99.99 annually.

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According to GamesIndustry.biz, existing members today received an email warning them their subscription cost will increase from 10th May, 2024. The price increase is already reflected on EA's website for those signing up from today.

As for the reason behind the bump, GamesIndustry.biz say it understands the new costs are intended to reflect changes in currency value and to bring fees in line with market value.

EA's decision follows similar moves by other publishers. Microsoft increased the cost of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions last July, while Sony pushed up the price of its annual PlayStation Plus membership in September.