EA accounts which need password resets are locking some console players out of games

Some players are finding themselves unable to access EA games on PlayStation and Xbox if their console accounts are tied to an EA account with an expired password.

The problem centres around the fact that many players created EA accounts in the distant past – for one reader who got in contact, it was over a decade ago – and tied it to an email address that has long since been shut down. For anyone with a now-abandoned school or work email, it’s a similar story.

Now, when EA’s account system asks for a password reset, it can only send an email to that lost address.

All of this would be fine if you could unlink an EA account from your console profile and simply create a fresh EA account to play new games. But, as EA’s own customer support has been telling people, this is not possible.

It’s a situation which leaves those affected with few options, other than creating a whole new console profile – something many would rather not do.

In response, EA has now acknowledged the issue, and told Eurogamer it is “actively” working to find a solution.

This problem is not new – there are multiple threads on EA’s own help forums dating back a while, highlighting the issue on both PlayStation and Xbox – but one which has been recently brought to light by a number of readers who have gotten in touch with Eurogamer.

It’s also likely this issue will only become more prevalent over time as people continue to try and revive older EA accounts while sticking to the same console profile.

One person told Eurogamer they were now attempting to get their old EA account unlinked from their console profile by submitting a GDPR Article 17 (the Right To Be Forgotten) request to EA, in a bid to force the FIFA maker into deleting their old data. It’s unclear how successful this will be.

“We have a duty to protect our players information and ensure that EA accounts are not compromised by bad actors, which is why there are certain security checks in place in order for passwords to be reset,” an EA spokesperson told Eurogamer when contacted about the problem.

“We are aware that, due to these security checks, some players can unfortunately experience difficulties accessing their EA accounts when they no longer have access to the email addresses linked to that account.

“We understand that this is frustrating and are actively looking at alternative methods of verifying these players to ensure access to their EA accounts is restored as soon as possible.”