Mass Effect: Andromeda is headed to Origin Access

It's been pretty well established by now that Mass Effect: Andromeda did not live up to the legacy of the original trilogy, nor did it sell especially well. Even so, this feels like the line drawn under the whole sorry story—the final insult, if you will. Less than seven months after it was released, Electronic Arts is putting it on Origin Access.

Origin Access is a subscription-based service that, for $5/£4/€4 per month, provides unlimited access to a wide range of EA games. Generally, they tend to be either older games (relatively, anyway) or limited "Play First" trials, but Andromeda is neither—it's the full game, which is still listed on Origin for $40, the cost of eight months of Access.

It's fair to point out that both Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 were less than a year old when they were added to Origin Access, but with all due respect to both series, I don't think that either of them had quite the marquee stature of Mass Effect. Think of it this way: If I had told you at this time last year that Andromeda would be Origin fodder before the leaves finished falling off the trees this year, would you have believed me?

Mass Effect: Andromeda isn't the only new addition headed for Origin Access. The Star Wars Battlefront 2 Play First Trial is also coming, as is a trial version of Need for Speed: Payback. Specific dates weren't announced but EA said they'll be rolled out between now and December—the end of it, I'm guessing—and that the Battlefront 2 trial will be available before its release on November 17.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.