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Mass Effect 2 And Other EA Titles To Be Available On PlayStation Now
Sony and Electronic Arts have partnered up to bring gamers five titles – including Mass Effect 2 and Mirror's Edge – via Sony's PlayStation Now streaming service currently in beta.
Mass Effect 2, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space 3 (above), NBA Jam On Fire Edition, and Bejeweled 3 can be rented starting December 2. Exact prices haven't been announced, but Peter Jamshidi, director of marketing for PlayStation Now, says that you can rent the titles for a week at approximately a dollar a day. Other rental lengths will also available.
The two companies' partnership comes after EA unveiled its EA Access subscription program this summer only for Xbox One. Access members can download legacy EA titles while they are a paying member as well as play upcoming EA titles early.
When asked why EA's program wasn't on Sony's PS4, a Sony representative explained, "We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect." The rep went on to say that the existence of Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription program precluded an EA-specific service.
In light of these comments by Sony and Access' allowing members to download older EA titles, there was speculation that EA would not support PlayStation Now.
[Source: Official PlayStation Blog]
Our Take:
The deal makes sense since there isn't really an overlap between EA Access and these titles on PS Now. Of course, PS Now is streaming and not unlimited, membership-based play time like Access, but currently these titles are not in Access' Vault of older games offered, and arguably the real value of Access is in letting you play portions of upcoming games before they come out.
Looking at the current, small collection of older titles free for Access members – games like FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, and Battlefield 4 – these titles are newer than those being given to PS Now. Moreover, it's possible that the titles I just mentioned are being offered free to Access members because the franchises as a whole bring in continuing revenue and interest via their Ultimate Team and multiplayer components – which today's EA games for PS Now do not. Thus, EA loses nothing by giving these titles to Sony.
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