- Electronic Arts (EA +2.2%) is making a new digital move, rolling out an online subscription plan for PC gamers.
- The offering, called Origin Access, is an evolution of its existing Origin community/store that boasts 50M members. The new service will charge subscribers $4.99/month and include game previews, purchase discounts and some free older games -- very much like EA Access, its same-priced offering for EA games on the Xbox One.
- That console version's popularity is what prompted extending it to PCs, EA says. It's taking advantage of a growing move toward digital subscriptions in media, and the evolution of its user base toward digital: Full-game downloads now account for 20-25% of sales, vs. a year-ago 10-15%.
- Previously: Cowen: Mobile gaming points to big quarter for EA (Jan. 07 2016)