A Way Out Lets Friends Play Together Without Both Owning the Game

Along with a new trailer that was recently released for A Way Out, it was also announced that players will have a unique opportunity to play with friends who don't even own the game.

Revealing the new trailer during The Game Awards, publisher EA also announced that a special promotion would allow one game to be playable for two different people. Considering the whole game is designed to be a co-op experience, this might be a no-brainer if you're thinking about couch co-op, but this offer extends instead to those playing online. As long as one person has the game and their prison-escaping partner has an Internet connection and an EA account, both will be able to enjoy the splitscreen game as it's meant to be played.

The "friends pass free trial" as it's being called will be open to everyone right when the game is launched, so after the updates are completed, you and a friend will be able to take control of either Vincent or Leo as the two work together to break out of prison. Of course, you'll have to have a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription to make use of the trial as well, but that shouldn't come as anything new.

"A Way Out is designed to be played with two players from start to finish," a description from the promotional page reads. "You can team up with a friend on your couch and play, or you can invite any of your friends online regardless of whether or not they've purchased the game."

During his time up on stage at The Game Awards, A Way Out director and writer Josef Fares excitedly previewed the game while talking about quite a few other topics. Despite being published by EA, he set the game apart from the ongoing loot box controversy by saying that there's none of that going on here and that he'd enjoyed working with EA. He also had some very, very choice words for The Oscars while animatedly gesturing towards the huge stage behind him and saying that The Game Awards was where the action was at.

Hazelight Studios' A Way Out is scheduled to launch on March 23 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.