EA Is Using Game Pass to Market Its Games (And That’s a Good Thing)

The relationship between Electronic Arts and Xbox Game Pass has grown from a cautious partnership to a deep level of cooperation. This has helped both companies, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. EA has been able to leverage Game Pass in a way that more publishers should pay attention to, and it’s even been of benefit to gamers themselves.

EA Has a Good Relationship With Game Pass

At first, EA’s involvement with Game Pass was small, with only a few games available. This changed when EA Play, EA’s own subscription service, was added to different levels of Game Pass. This decision was a major shift, greatly increasing the number of EA games that Game Pass users could play.

Now, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox PC Game Pass include EA Play, giving players access to a large collection of EA’s well-known game series. This is a huge boost to Game Pass as regular game prices rise.

This move gives EA a big advantage by letting the company reach Microsoft’s huge Game Pass audience, which is much larger than what EA Play could achieve on its own. For Microsoft, this partnership makes Game Pass more valuable. Adding popular EA games, like those from EA’s various sports franchises, Battlefield, and more, makes the Game Pass library much bigger and more appealing.

Big releases and famous franchises are usually added first since they attract the most attention and potential subscribers. However, EA also uses Game Pass to show new games for players to try out. EA has a better relationship with Xbox and Microsoft than many realize, and it’s mostly benefiting EA.

This lets EA put more resources into making games and supporting them after launch rather than spending as much on store-based advertising. While the exact financial terms of the deal between EA and Microsoft aren’t public, the fact that EA Play is still available with Game Pass shows that the partnership is working well for both sides and is good for gamers, too.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Used Game Pass for Marketing

After its first release, EA’s marketing strategy for Dragon Age: The Veilguard relied heavily on Xbox Game Pass as a major promotional tool. The game launched to mixed reviews, and sales seemed to prove that the game wasn’t going to be a hit or blockbuster, which meant the end of Dragon Age.

Early sales were far below EA’s predictions, and the game only reached 1.5 million players, nearly 50% fewer than projected. This poor performance came with divided opinions from critics and fans. It received a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam but was not widely praised. These events likely pushed EA to use Game Pass as a way to market the game after launch.

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Adding The Veilguard to Game Pass as a trial had several effects. For EA, it was a chance to introduce the game to a much bigger audience than the initial sales suggested. Game Pass has a huge number of subscribers, so this allowed EA to reach more players, possibly turning some of them into paying customers for future Dragon Age games or other EA products.

One downside for EA was that this approach likely brought in less direct revenue. The game is alright, but I borrowed it and chose not to buy it because it wasn’t good enough for the price. Other players likely came to the same conclusion from the trial, and it may have lost money for EA.

Since Game Pass users were already paying for the subscription, it didn’t count as a new sale. However, demos like game trials are a smart way to drive sales.

This strategy might not always work, but it shows that publishers could start seeing Game Pass and similar services as a tool for marketing and attracting new players. Whether this approach succeeds will depend mostly on the quality of the game, how well its addition to Game Pass is promoted, and whether it can bring in new players and generate positive word of mouth.

Game Trials and Previews Are Fine if They’re a Bonus

The inclusion of game demos or trial versions in a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass creates a complicated situation. We want full games in the subscription because that’s what we paid for. However, if Microsoft can’t get a license for a full game, wouldn’t it be nice to have a demo instead?

For subscribers, the main benefit is the chance to try out a broader range of games without spending money. Time-limited trials let players test the gameplay, get a feel for the core mechanics, and decide if buying the full game is worth it for them. This lowers the chance of regretting a purchase you felt you needed to make outside Game Pass’ subscription tiers.

Game Pass is often seen as a buffet of sorts, where you can sample a bit of everything and see what tastes good. Game trials like those offered by EA perfectly complement this approach. Nobody is going to complain that there are too many games to try out on Game Pass, and if something really sings to you, then you can open your wallet safe in the knowledge that you really will enjoy it.

Full demos, even with some restrictions (like limited content or playtime), give a more detailed preview than a simple trailer, helping players make better-informed decisions about whether to buy the game. However, one possible downside is that demos could weaken the main appeal of Game Pass, which is unlimited access to a large collection of games.

From the publisher’s point of view, adding demos can be a powerful marketing strategy. Demos can build hype and excitement for upcoming releases, encouraging players to pre-order or buy the full game. They also provide useful feedback during development, helping developers fix problems before the official launch.

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Successful demos might also attract new subscribers to Game Pass, growing the service’s user base. However, publishers need to weigh the costs of creating and maintaining demos, including server costs for online games. A poorly made demo could also hurt the game’s reputation, turning players away instead of drawing them in.

This is especially true if a timed trial ends suddenly or doesn’t give a good sense of the full game, leaving players disappointed rather than interested. As long as it doesn’t become more important than having full games, demos, and trials, as we saw with Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be a smart business venture for Microsoft.

Given that Microsoft is going all-in on the Game Pass model, it doesn’t look like the company will weaken the catalog by prioritizing trials. But adding more value? That’s good for everyone.

Game Pass Has the Potential to Be the Next Jampack

Xbox Game Pass has the opportunity to start bringing publishers in to put demos in its service for marketing purposes. We’re already seeing it work with Dragon Age: The Veilguard and other EA games, so it should work with other publishers. This is similar to how Jampack operated a few generations ago.

Jampack was a service available on the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles that acted as an early version of today’s digital demo platforms. Unlike demo discs that came with magazines or were included with games, Jampack was a subscription service that sent a handpicked set of playable game demos straight to the console.

Jampack provided easy access to multiple demos without having to collect separate discs, making it simpler for players to try games before buying them. We could be seeing a return of game demos that we have only seen once before.

While Jampack was aimed at PlayStation users who wanted to sample upcoming games, Game Pass appeals to a much larger audience, including players who enjoy a wide variety of games, from small indie titles to big-budget AAA releases. It also helps those looking for an affordable way to play lots of different games.

The basic idea behind Jampack, giving players easy access to trial versions of games, could work well as part of Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft could add a “game trial hub” to the Game Pass interface, where players could browse a selection of demos from participating developers.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate lets you stream a massive catalog of games to Xbox consoles, PC, and mobile.

The marketing benefits alone could be big for publishers. Game Pass already has a large user base, so adding demos could introduce more players to new games and encourage them to buy the full versions. Microsoft could make money from this feature in different ways, such as charging extra for demo access, sharing revenue with developers based on how many people try their demos, or using a mix of both methods.

If done well, more trials could make Game Pass even better for everyone. This would help bring in new subscribers and keep current ones by making it easier to discover new games.