Report: EA Sports Planning DLC-Centered Subscription Service

A new subscription service reportedly being planned by EA Sports would allow players to transfer downloadable content between annual versions of titles, among other benefits. A consumer survey obtained by sports gaming fansite Pasta Padre outlines a subscription plan that would offer discounted DLC, early access to downloadable versions of retail sports titles and free access to exclusive DLC and web-based features. The survey suggests the plan would be available to PS3 and Xbox 360 owners for anywhere from $14.99 to $34.99 annually, depending on the level of benefits received. Gamasutra has contacted EA for further information about the reported plan. The potential subscription plan seems unrelated to EA's existing Online Pass system, which charges $10 to access online play and other content when purchasing a used sports title. EA has increasingly seen digital revenue as the key to its growth, with CFO Scott Brown suggesting last November that the segment would grow 30 percent annually for the company from 2009 to 2011. Sports DLC has been a big factor in that growth, with revenues from FIFA's Ultimate Team sub-game quadrupling to $40 million after the feature was made a free addition to the core FIFA game.