EA Play and Xbox Game Pass adding Star Wars Squadrons and Madden NFL 21 in March

Electronic Arts has confirmed three upcoming additions to EA Play and by extension, the Xbox Game Pass library.

The most recent entry in EA’s long-running American football franchise, August 2020 release Madden NFL 21, will join the subscription services on March 2.

It will be followed by space dogfighting game Star Wars: Squadrons later in March. Developed by Motive Studios and released in October 2020, Squadrons includes an original single-player campaign set after the events of Return of the Jedi and 5v5 multiplayer space battles.

NHL 21, which also debuted in October 2020, will then join EA Play and Game Pass in April.

As of November 10, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on console get an EA Play membership at no additional cost, granting members unlimited access to full versions of selected EA back catalogue games.

EA Play was also scheduled to be made available to Xbox Game Pass PC subscribers in December 2020, but the rollout of the benefit was delayed to later this year.

The subscription service also offers early access trials of most new EA games and members receive a 10 percent discount on EA digital purchases.

Xbox marketing GM Aaron Greenberg has suggested that the addition of EA Play to Xbox Game Pass is part of a long-term agreement between Microsoft and EA.

Titles added to Game Pass earlier in February include Code Vein (PC), Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire (PC), Dirt 5 (cloud, console and PC) and Elite Dangerous (console).

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