EA has revealed that it plans to expand its subscription services - like Xbox One's EA Access and PC's Origin Access - to "other platforms", although doesn't specify exactly what they'd be.
Speaking on an EA earnings call (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha), CEO Andrew Wilson discussed the success of the existing subscription services, before revealing its future plans:
"Our subscription services like EA Access and Origin Access are bringing more players from across our network to join in. Our subscription player base continues to grow. And you should expect us to continue driving this model to more platforms going forward."
Wilson went on to explain the significance of the subscription model to EA, explaining that because of its "live service" games (such as FIFA, Madden and the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront 2), players will download games included in the package before paying more for them down the line:
"The one thing that's often lost when we have this conversation is that unlike linear media, the subscription fee paid is not the total value of what a player might expend as they enjoy the games they play inside of subscription [...]
"And so we believe long term, while it may take us some years to facilitate that at the kind of scale that we expect it to evolve to, in the same way that digital music and digital movies have evolved, the upside for the interactive entertainment industry is uncapped by virtue of the value of live services that are born inside of a subscription."
The rise of the kinds of microtransactions that Wilson is talking about have been the subject of recent controversy around the issue, not least as EA shut down Visceral Games and pivoted its single player game to a live service model.
EA CFO Blake Jorgensen added that the existing services will likely be expanded, too:
"We've been doing a lot of work on Origin Access and EA Access. And as Andrew mentioned, you'll most likely see those on other platforms. And you'll most likely see additional content coming into those subscriptions and some exciting things to come there. But we believe that's a very important way for more consumers to enjoy more games over time at a very reasonable price."
The Access services currently offer a "vault" of free-to-download EA games, as well as discounts and early access for new titles, in return for a monthly payment.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and reading earnings calls is sometimes like looking into the brains of businessmen who'd never say this kind of stuff in regular interviews. Follow him on Twitter.
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