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10 hour trial for Madden NFL 22 now available
Madden NFL 22 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Play on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The EA Access subscription service was rebranded as EA Play one year ago and has since been folded into Xbox Game Pass as well.
Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire requiring a second EA Play account to get 10 more hours or the game to be purchased come release. The timer ticks down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being actively played, menus navigated, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the respective home screens when not in use.
The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used even beyond release. Any progress made in the various modes and online results will carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.
EA Access launched July 2014 on Xbox One and later was joined by Origin Access on PC. After being prevented by Sony from releasing the service on PS4 it was finally cleared to launch on the system two years ago. It is now available on PS5 and Series X as well. EA Play includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Play is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month or is included with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Madden NFL 22 features a substantial slate of Franchise improvements, enhanced gameday atmosphere, player data driving AI decisions, and unique homefield advantages.
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First details on Madden NFL 22
With just two months to go until release EA Sports has revealed the first details on what to expect from Madden NFL 22. When EA Play was pushed back until July it became evident a rollout would be happening independent of that and it includes news on gameplay and Franchise Mode.
-Gameday Atmosphere: connects players to their NFL fandom through the crowds, environments, and presentation elements that enhance and impact every game.
-Gameday Momentum: performance-based mechanics, including Home Field Advantage which provides a unique game condition tailored to each NFL team’s stadium atmosphere, swing momentum, bringing the tangible influence of momentum to life on the field.
-Next Gen Stats Star-Driven AI: powered by real world player data that will evolve throughout the season, changes AI behavior and team tendencies to make NFL superstars and the personality of each team more true-to-life.
-Franchise Mode: will make players feel more connected and in control of their team, with more detailed staff management and skill tree progression systems, and comprehensive weekly game strategy with a revamped Season Engine that keeps things fresh every week. Franchise will also continue to see improvements throughout the year via multiple live service updates.
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes share the cover of the game. They return after appearing on Madden NFL 18 and Madden NFL 20 respectively. The game will release on August 20 for those who don’t pay extra to get it three days earlier on the 17th. The 10 hour trial through the EA Play subscription service should begin prior to then as well.
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Press Row Podcast: Acquisitions and Delays
The Press Row Podcast returns with discussion on recent news including Electronic Arts buying Metalhead Software – the developers of Super Mega Baseball – and the first NFL game from 2K Sports under their new licensing deal being delayed until summer 2022.
Check out the podcast through Apple Podcasts for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the streaming player found below.
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EA has purchased Super Mega Baseball developer Metalhead Software
Electronic Arts today announced that they have acquired the studio behind Super Mega Baseball, which delivered some of the best sports games in the latter half of the last generation of consoles.
“We’re all players of Super Mega Baseball, and we’ve long admired the work of the Metalhead team. It’s a unique and beloved franchise among sports gamers – the balance and depth of gameplay, and the unique style of the content, makes it super fun to play with friends. We look forward to supporting and investing in the team so they can continue to build out more amazing games that delight sports fans around the world,” said Cam Weber, EA SPORTS EVP and GM. “EA SPORTS continues to expand, and we’re deeply excited to create more unique and interactive experiences that blur the lines between sports and entertainment.”
There are two potential reasons why EA would look to bring in Metalhead and Super Mega Baseball. The most exciting in the short term is they have plans to apply the MLB license for the next release. This is the primary way in which SMB could grow and be accepted by the mainstream. It’s hard to imagine an unlicensed game being released under the EA Sports brand.
The second is that EA acquired Metalhead for the talent. They may be assigned to develop different projects.
What’s clear is that there is now a concerted effort to build back EA Sports to a level of relevance and respectability that few may even remember they once possessed. College football will be back in two years, golf is returning this year or next, Codemasters has been purchased to reach into racing with F1, and now baseball is on the way back.
The library of titles is expanding but if the efforts don’t exceed those of Madden, FIFA, NHL and UFC then the widespread disappointment and frustration will not cease either. There isn’t that concern with Super Mega Baseball, unless of course EA executives negatively influence the design of the game going forward.
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Press Row Podcast: Baseball and Golf Surprises
So many surprises in such a short time! Between MLB The Show 21 going on Xbox Game Pass the day it launches and EA announcing a brand new PGA golf game – exclusively featuring The Masters, no less – it’s been a wild few weeks.
Check out the podcast through Apple Podcasts for iOS, on Android with the Stitcher app, or with Pocket Casts on iOS, Android, and Windows. The show can now also be found on Spotify! Subscribe and give the podcast five star reviews to help support the show. You can also listen with the streaming player found below.
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MLB The Show 21 will launch as part of Xbox Game Pass
Back when MLB The Show was announced in late 2019 to be coming to Xbox this year that news was considered a surprise, but today’s development is even more stunning. MLB The Show 21 will launch on April 20 as part of Xbox Game Pass. Those on Xbox Series X, Series S, and One will receive the full game as part of the subscription at no additional charge.
We’re delighted to announce that MLB The Show 21 is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one and will be available on April 20 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, as well as on Android phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) for Ultimate members. Both MLB The Show 21 Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S Standard Editions will be included with Xbox Game Pass so members will be able to play the best version of the game regardless of which console they’re on.
This will sting for PlayStation only owners who have likely been loyal to the series over the years. It’s been nearly a decade since the platform became the only home for baseball fans. Now they’ll be forced to shell out not just full price, but an increased price on PlayStation 5 of $70, while those over on Xbox getting the series for the first time will essentially be doing so for free.
So now MLB The Show will reach more potential consumers than ever before. The inclusion of cross-platform play, the first for a major licensed sports game, will bring all of them together online regardless of where it’s being played.
Xbox Game Pass was already widely considered to be the best value in all of gaming. However it’s place in the sports gaming genre wasn’t that impactful, until it brought in the EA Play service six months ago and now The Show.
MLB dictated the decision to make the series multi-platform and almost certainly was behind this latest move, so one now wonders what Sony might have in mind for a way to reward their user base rather than cede way to Microsoft as the destination of choice for baseball gamers.
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EA Sports Announces Return of PGA Tour
EA Sports today officially announced a new PGA Tour game is on the way however few details were provided beyond that. The most substantial of the limited information is that pros will be playable. That differentiates from now rival PGA Tour 2K which has built into its design that all golfers are equal and only equipment alters performance. That’s why the latest game in that series wouldn’t let you even see the pros play outside of near the greens through highlights let alone have them be controlled by users.
In EA Sports PGA TOUR, golf fans will be able to build their virtual career and experience the sights, sounds, and thrills of the PGA TOUR including THE PLAYERS Championship, FedExCup Playoffs and more unforgettable events. The game will also feature many of the world’s most famous courses, where fans will have the option to play against and as some of the biggest names in professional golf.
The news comes as a surprise given how hard it is to imagine two sim golf titles successfully coexisting under the current market conditions even if they alternate release years. It comes on the heels of 2K Sports snagging exclusive rights to Tiger Woods and having established The Golf Club/PGA Tour 2K as a premier series for golf fans in recent years. EA has been absent since Rory McIlroy released in 2015.
Enthusiasm isn’t exactly off the charts for this announcement. The official EA Sports PGA Tour Twitter account, with over 50K followers, has only managed 67 retweets and 360 likes after nearly 16 hours from when it was originally posted. The official EA Sports account with over 2 million followers comparatively has done even worse.
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Tiger Woods signs on with PGA Tour 2K
An eight year absence from the virtual golf course is about to come to a close as Tiger Woods has signed an exclusive long-term deal with 2K Sports. After an extremely successful 11 years with EA Sports ended in 2013, though disrupted somewhat by off-the-course transgressions and decline in performance in the later stretch run, Tiger will now figure prominently in the future of golf video games with their rival.
Additionally it was announced that developer HB Studios has been acquired by Take Two. Until now 2K Sports has only acted as the publisher of games from the independent studio.
Woods’ partnership with 2K includes rights for his name and likeness to appear exclusively in the PGA TOUR 2K franchise, as well as any other golf games published by 2K during the partnership term.
It’s unclear at this time whether Woods will make an appearance as DLC in PGA Tour 2K21 but more likely he’ll debut in the next title which could come later this year or next year.
This is another big step for PGA Tour 2K, previously known as The Golf Club, in building a recognizable brand. Bringing on the PGA Tour, real-life courses, and actual golfers have helped in that regard in recent years. There’s no bigger splash that could have been made however than landing Tiger Woods.
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