Would an EA Access PlayStation 4 Launch be Worth It?

While neither company has commented on it, Reddit chatter started ramping up over the possibility of EA Access coming to the PlayStation 4. The service is currently exclusive to the Xbox One, though an expansion to other platforms was always possible. However, when it was originally announced, Sony made it very clear at the time it was not interested.

Despite that, Sony has made it clear in the past year that it’s willing to change face on a number of long-standing positions. From cross-play to PSN IDs, things that at once seemed impossible now seem very much possible. But, the question remains, is EA Access on the PlayStation 4 a good idea?

There are some definite heavy-hitters on this list. For $30 a year, you’ll definitely get some bang for your buck. Yes, some recent titles like Anthem and Battlefield V aren’t currently on the platform, but they will almost definitely be added at some point.It already has games like Battlefield 1 and the most recent EA Sports titles, DLC and all. In addition, getting limited-time trials is a selling point of its own, as you’ll be able to test out EA’s newest releases without shelling out $60.

However, a PS4 version of EA Access does come with some caveats. EA Access gives you the ability to download games, not stream them. A lot of the titles on the service are Xbox 360/PS3 games, like the original Mass Effect trilogy and Dead Space 1-3. The Xbox One is notable for its backwards compatibility, and every previous-gen game on the service is backwards compatible. Obviously, that’s not something that will be possible on the PlayStation 4.

It’s a problem that even Sony’s own streaming service, PlayStation Now, has encountered. The service lets you download PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4 games, but not PlayStation 3 titles. Now, there are plenty of current-gen titles that can fill up the library. But one has to ask why Sony would be willing to host a service that will most definitely be scaled down on its platform? To answer that, we may want to look ahead.

By all accounts, the PlayStation 5 will have backwards compatibility. Now, how far back that will go is a question, but there are rumblings that all games from all PlayStation systems will be playable. It definitely seems like a lot of decisions Sony has made lately are table-setting for the PS5. Allowing EA Access on its platform has the same kind of energy to it.

The next generations of systems are widely expected to be released in 2020. With that, Sony and Microsoft have begun to make decisions for the long-term, to make their next systems as attractive as possible. EA Access finally coming to a Sony platform seems like one of those decisions. If backwards compatibility is indeed a thing, what better way to celebrate it than having some of the PS3’s most defining titles available to download?

EA may get a lot of criticism, but it is a publisher with a fantastic library. Giving easy access to that library, at a cost lower than it is to buy most AAA games, is great for customers. The library will only grow stronger over time, and if backwards compatibility on the PS5 is real, then it would be a huge steal.