It wasn’t long ago that we covered the debut EA Play for Xbox Game Pass on console. At that point we cited a planned December 15 launch for PC subscribers, but at the last minute Microsoft has announced an EA Play delay. With many arguably looking forward to today’s launch, taking so long to share this unfortunate news is bound to be both frustrating and disappointing. Being in the midst of a pandemic is likely part of the reason for a delay, but Microsoft hasn’t come out and said as much, perhaps because spending more time at home is the very reason many subscribers could be very excited for this update. Continue reading to learn more.
EA Play delay comes at the last minute
Xbox Game Pass is one of the areas where Microsoft has a clear edge over Sony in the gaming space. Gamers can pay a flat fee to access an ever-growing catalog of first- and third-party titles, something PlayStation can’t really compete with. Sure, there’s PlayStation Now, but most rightfully will not consider that to be a true head-to-head competitor. Microsoft managed to turn up the heat further by announcing that EA Play would be included at no additional cost for both console and PC subscribers earlier this year.
Console subscribers gained access to EA Play just over a month ago, but at that point PC gamers were told they would have to wait until December 15. Well, here we are, and instead of seeing a blog post from Microsoft telling us about the update, we’re told that it isn’t quite ready yet, and the the EA Play delay will continue until sometime in 2021.
When will the EA Play delay be over?
Microsoft is playing it safe by not sharing a specific timeframe. Not even a release month or season are mentioned in the blog post. The closest we get to this is the promise it will have “more to share early next year.” To be clear, this could be when the EA Play delay comes to an end, or simply when an actual timeline is provided.
9to5Toys’ Take
While there’s no arguing that the EA Play delay will be a huge disappointment for Xbox Game Pass for PC subscribers, it’s worth noting that this will still be a nice upgrade when it finally comes out. Best of all, it’ll cost nothing more than the typical price, providing a plethora of additional titles for folks like me who prefer having a catalog to choose from instead of dropping $60 to $70 on a new release they may not end up enjoying.
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