Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have had access to the entire library of games in the EA Play catalog for some time now. Unfortunately, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users were able to access the games on EA Play, they were unable to unlock the achievements available on the service.
Xbox Game Pass is widely regarded as one of the best deals in the gaming industry right now, as the service has a multitude of benefits and very few drawbacks. Recently, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers were given 30 free days of Paramount+. This is a great benefit for subscribers and was most likely done by Microsoft in order to encourage users to watch the new Halo TV series, which is now streaming on Paramount+. Episodes will release weekly, which means that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will need to purchase a Paramount+ subscription to finish the first season.
Microsoft has, thankfully, now added the ability for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to be able to earn EA Play achievements while playing EA games on the subscription service. These achievements will not count towards a user's Xbox Gamerscore, but, they will carry over to a player's Origin account across multiple devices. These achievements will most likely be a welcome inclusion for achievement hunters with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. Users will be able to earn these achievements in every EA Play title available on Xbox such as It Takes Two, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and the Battlefield series.
Microsoft also recently added another benefit for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers as they will now be able to get the new Mongoose skin in Halo Infinite. While this bonus may seem small, it is a cherry on top of the mountain of other benefits an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription currently includes.
In other EA news, the EA Play event for 2022 has been canceled. The publisher usually showcases many of its new projects and games that are in development at the event, but the company has instead decided to go another route. EA has now decided to showcase each of its new upcoming games separately, likely for the event not to spread the attention of the audience too thin, as well as the lingering effects of the pandemic making it difficult to host a large event. This is similar to how Sony showcases its games with its State of Play events, as some events will likely be entirely dedicated to a single game.