Battlefield Hardline to be free next week via EA Access

Electronic Arts has announced that the most recent game in the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield Hardline, will be offered to EA Access members in the coming days. The title will be free for those who are subscribed to the service and will be as a part of ‘The Vault’. This follows an accidental announcement within the EA Access application, discovered last month.

Battlefield Hardline will join a large library of EA titles on October 14, and will be free to download via the EA Access Xbox One application. Previously, a trial of the game had been offered through the service, but as of next week, unlimited play time will be available until the accounts paid subscription is terminated.

Battlefield Hardline originally released in March of this year, following multiple delays after a scheduled 2014 release. The game attempted to move away from the traditional military formula by delivering a reworked ‘cops and criminals’ experience, with a collection of locations situating heists, car chases, and hostage rescue missions. Sadly upon release, many found the experience to be lackluster, with a change in palette rather than gameplay. As a result, it is expected that sales have been below expectations, due to the upcoming EA Access release. Since 2011’s Battlefield 3, sales figures have dropped for the franchise, with successors such as Battlefield 4 seeing significant reductions. Battlefield Hardline’s sales have been kept tight to the publisher’s chest, which further backs this speculation.

EA Access is currently priced at $5 per month or at $30 USD for a year. The services offers fourteen free games and a range of exclusive deals on EA products. The service is currently exclusive to the Xbox One, with no announced plans to release on additional platforms.