So my son wanted to buy Battlefront 2 to play with his friends. It was £20 and I figure in a years time they will probably have moved on so I suggest EA Access for a year, pay half each and everyone’s a winner (except for my backlog obviously).
He waits patiently for the download and starts it up excitedly, create an EA account (obv), into the game. Well half of it anyway. The online half is blocked off and when he tries to go online it comes up with a nondescript error (524?). I investigate. Low an behold EA, in their infinite wisdom, poo-poo the extensive, comprehensive and flexible parental controls XBox (and Sony) implement and have determined anyone under a certain (unspecified) age can’t play Star Wars online. This also applies to some other EA games, but not all - Battlefield yes, Titanfall no.
I love the parental controls both MS and Sony do - MS especially is really good. I can allow some games but not others, get reports on what is being played, allow one time access etc. I.e. there is restriction but control, so I can decide based on guidance what he can play and how he can play - he can only chat and communicate with friends for example.
Can I do any of this via EA? No. Once it linked the EA account to the XBox one his age was taken and set, and he is not able to play. No adjustment of options on the XBox side can allow this. The options to get him access? Update his Live account to be older may well work, create a new Live account and lie about his age, or let him play on my account. All of which start circumventing the existing comprehensive controls I have over what he accesses. This is Star Wars FFS. You know, the films significantly aimed at kids!
Have to wonder what’s really at play here, and maybe it’s more to do with collection of data rather than PEGI ratings etc. They aren’t allowed to collect what they want to from child profiles, so they put these restrictions in place.
Have let him play as me for now, but fair warning to others.