EA is rebranding its Access and Origin Access subscription services. Starting August 18th, EA Access and Origin Access Basic will be known as EA Play, and Origin Access Premier will be called EA Play Pro.

The services will have a fresh look too, the company said. They’ll still include the same features, such as a library with more than 100 games and early trials of new titles. You also get a 10 percent discount on digital purchases. You can expect more features in the coming months, like in-game challenges you won’t have access to anywhere else and reward drops such as Ultimate Team Packs.

The publisher also revealed the FIFA 21 release date. It’s coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 9th. You can get started three days earlier if you pick up the Ultimate Edition or Champions Edition, while EA Access and Origin Access Play First trials start on October 1st.

The game will hit PS5 and Xbox Series X when those consoles are released sometime this holiday season. If you buy FIFA 21 on PS4 or Xbox One, you can claim a free upgrade for the equivalent next-generation console through EA’s Dual Entitlement program. Both physical and digital copies of the game are eligible, but you’ll need to opt for the latter to get an upgrade on a discless version of a next-gen console. The free upgrade offer expires when FIFA 22 is released.

Get #FIFA21 on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One before FIFA 22 and upgrade your game for the equivalent next generation console (PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X) for free.
Full details https://t.co/No5zFAH7x6 pic.twitter.com/QFCQ3hsAo3

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) June 18, 2020

One particularly cool thing EA’s working on for FIFA 21 is cross-progression between generations for some game modes. You’ll be able to switch back and forth between a PS4 and PS5 or Xbox One and Xbox Series X and keep playing where you left off on Ultimate Team or Volta Football. Progress in other modes — including career, online seasons and pro clubs — is locked to one console generation.

EA has had plenty to say about cross-play for some of its other titles over the last week or so. However, it hasn’t yet mentioned about whether PlayStation and Xbox players can face off against each other on the pitch in FIFA 21.

EA Play kicked off with some big news for Apex Legends players. Starting this fall, it’ll support cross-play between PC, Xbox One and PS4. Oh, and Nintendo Switch when the game launches there in a few months. As with many other EA games, you’ll soon be able to play it through Steam as well as Origin. You can expect more details about the Switch version in the coming months.

Along with those big updates about what’s coming up for Apex Legends in the next few months, Respawn also offered a peek at the next collection event, Lost Treasures, which starts June 23rd. It includes a fresh spin on a previous limited-time mode. In Armed and Dangerous Evolved, the only weapons you’ll only have access to are sniper rifles and shotguns. The big twist is that there won’t be any respawn beacons on the map. Instead, you’ll have a mobile one in your inventory you can use once per match to bring back your teammate(s).

Criterion Games is shifting its attention to the next Need For Speed title. As such, tomorrow’s patch will be the last update for NFS Heat, which will hit the EA Access and Origin Access Basic Vault on June 16th. EA’s summer game showcase will take place on June 18th, and you can expect to learn more about the future of Need For Speed and the publisher’s ambitions for Steam during EA Play.

More and more games have adopted cross-platform play recently — Sony finally loosened its restrictions on PS4 cross-play in 2018 before dropping them completely last year. It’s now clear that EA is interested in letting more people play its games together, but it remains to be seen whether it’ll switch on cross-play in the likes of Madden, FIFA and Apex Legends.

EA previously delayed its Madden NFL 21 launch stream amid the protests, and other publishers have put their events and game updates on hold. Meanwhile, Summer Game Fest curator Geoff Keighley said that Valve’s Steam Game Festival will also take place one week later — it’s moving to June 16th-22nd.

The Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition will now take place one week later. June 16 – 22. #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/1t5lY2UdaK

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) June 5, 2020

EA Play typically takes place around the time of E3, but it’s part of Summer Game Fest this year. Although EA hasn’t said too much about what it’ll showcase during EA Play, you can probably expect a peek at its refreshed lineup of sports titles (Madden, FIFA, NBA Live and NHL). There may also be updates on the likes of Apex Legends and a peek at what EA games will look like on next-generation consoles.