Update 05/03 10:02 AM - EA has confirmed that it's aware of players being unable to access EA Play games via Steam, and that the issue is now resolved. An EA representative told us that players "should now have the ability to retrieve an activation code, if required". If you're still struggling, EA says you should contact Customer Service. Original story follows below.
Original story: Some gamers who have subscribed to the EA Play subscription service via Steam are finding themselves unable to play certain EA games. They're being asked to input activation codes in order to play the games, but those codes weren't provided by EA.
Why can't people play games via EA Play on Steam?
According to ResetEra member Sha_96, after obtaining a month's subscription to EA Play, they installed and attempted to play Dead Space 2. The game then asked them to input an activation code, even though they're a paid member of the EA Play service. Sha_96 says that this problem apparently also exists for other EA games including Mass Effect 2, although they're unable to confirm that. The problem is corroborated by several other forum members on the ResetEra thread, some of whom also say they're unable to access other EA games such as Alice: Madness Returns and Dragon Age: Origins.
A Steam user also brought up this issue in a thread dated early February. In the thread, another Steam user says their game "never did this before" but is now asking them for an activation code, despite the game showing no prior issues. User CrestedPilot1 says other EA Play games such as Fe and Unravel do work, so this issue isn't across the board when it comes to the EA Play lineup.
What can you do if EA Play Steam games ask for activation keys?
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a cast-iron solution for this issue just yet. ResetEra user Sha_96 says they contacted EA support, who "will add Dead Space 2 to your Origin account", so you'll need to play the game on EA's platform instead of Steam. For many users, this won't be an ideal solution given that they subscribed to EA Play through Steam and not Origin. Another user says they had some luck contacting Steam support and asking for a key that way. However, another Steam user says they were simply redirected to Steam by EA and then EA by Steam, so this is not a foolproof method for playing your games, sadly.
We've contacted EA in an attempt to get to the bottom of this problem. Hopefully, it won't be long before EA Play subscribers are able to play their games without incident on Steam. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we get it.
Are you experiencing issues with EA Play games on Steam? Let us know in the comments below!
