EA is locking next-gen versions of FIFA and Madden behind a price premium

EA's Dual Entitlement program is a blessing at a time when next-gen versions of certain games are more expensive. This feature enables players to upgrade their PS4 or Xbox One copies of Electronic Arts' games to the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X versions, respectively, without any added charge.

While EA doesn't plan on stopping this program anytime soon, upgrading to next-gen versions of FIFA and Madden NFL will not be as straightforward.

First off, let's talk about FIFA 22.

The upcoming sports title will be available in multiple editions. There's the base version and the Ultimate Edition. Naturally, the Ultimate Edition is a lot more expensive. At $119.99 (for the disc version), the Ultimate Edition is nearly twice as expensive as the base version. It comes with several freebies though, which could come in handy for those who plan on investing a lot of time playing FIFA 22. Not to mention, owners of the Ultimate Edition will be able to start playing FIFA 22 on September 27 instead of October 1.

Another added benefit of buying the digital Ultimate Edition is that you'll get the next-gen upgrade for the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X as part of the package.

TLDR; EA just wants you to start buying a digital copy of FIFA 22 Ultimate Edition.

Now, for Madden NFL 22, EA is feeling a bit more generous. The "free" next-gen version of Madden NFL 22 isn't exclusive to digital copies of the game. You can buy both physical and digital versions of the MVP Edition ($100) or the Dynasty Edition ($120) for access to both the PS4/Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X and PS5 versions of the game.

If you can't be persuaded to spend double the amount of money for the Ultimate Edition of Madden NFL 22 and/or FIFA 22, EA is making the Xbox Series S/X and PS5 versions available at a higher price.

So, yeah, there's a bit of good news here. But, ultimately, we can expect EA's decision-making to ruffle some proverbial feathers. EA's microtransactions have long been the subject of criticism. In particular, the FIFA and Madden NFL games are notorious for basically being pay-to-win games.

Although it remains to be seen if FIFA 22 and Madden NFL 22 will be as microtransaction-heavy as their predecessors, one thing that EA has already made clear is that the company is expecting players to pay a premium if they want to experience these games in all their next-gen glory.

Judging by the official reveal trailer, the next-gen version of FIFA 22 looks to be worth the added price.

On the plus side, PC owners don't have to worry about all of this. They can just buy whatever edition of FIFA and Madden NFL 22 they want outright. In addition to this, both Madden NFL 22 and FIFA 22 will be available to play for EA Play Pro subscribers as soon as they launch.