Keep it simple: Do you ever get the feeling that game publishers intentionally try to confuse players with their branding schemes? Often you find similar services from the same company with different names or different services with similar names. EA is trying to fix that with new names for its Access and Origins brands.
EA announced on Friday that it is consolidating its Access and Origin Access subscriptions under a single brand umbrella. On August 18, EA Access and Origin Access Basic will become EA Play, while Origin Access Premier will be renamed EA Play Pro.
As you may recall, EA hosts an event at the Hollywood Palladium every year during E3 called EA Play, which creates some ambiguity in the branding. When it held EA Play this year, it had to be a virtual event, so EA called it EA Play Live, eventhough it was the opposite of "live." This new moniker for the expo will remain as the company moves forward, which means if people can ever attend it in person again, it will be live.
Have you got that? So, EA Play and EA Play Pro are its subscription services, and EA Play Live will be its yearly hands-on event.
EA said that renaming the services is an attempt to "streamline" user benefits.
"EA Play puts you at the center of the experience," said the publisher. "Moving all the benefits to a single brand is an important step in streamlining our services to ensure that being an EA Play member is the best way to play."
Current members do not have to do anything during the transition. Logins will not change, and all the perks they previously received will remain the same. Benefits include in-game challenges and rewards, member-only content, early trials, and discounts on digital purchases.