3 years ago

Changing Xbox App username - now I can't use EA Play anymore

I moved to Windows 11 and did a clean install. I had to reinstall EA app and Xbox App and redownload games. In the process, I also updated my username from an old auto-generated name to one of my current usernames on the Xbox App.

To play an EA game, it required me to "link" my account again. The Xbox app had me sign in to my EA Play and when I did, it told me it was linked to another account, showing my old username which is my current account but my old username.

When I went to unlink it and relink it, it's now not allowing me to and support is even going as far as saying that I can never link an Xbox account again.

This can't be right. Honestly, for such a crazy issue that EA doesn't recognize my Xbox account simply because of a different username seems weird enough but for there to be very little warning to this, especially that there's no way for me to relink my account without creating a whole new EA account seems insane to me.

Is there no way for support to just allow me to link the account that was already linked? There has to be a way to resolve this. Also, there was no other self-help solution for this to resolve. Why is there such permanent repercussions to me trying to resolve an issue based on the design that EA couldn't recognize my Xbox account just from a simple username change?

I'd really like to find a way to get this mitigated.

Edit, I should also add that this is said on the website:

You can unlink your platform accounts from your EA Account if you want to link them to a different EA Account, as long as that EA Account has never had the same account type linked to it before in its lifetime.

That means if you unlink an Xbox gamertag from your EA Account, you can’t link a different Xbox gamertag to it in the future.

Note, see how it says "different.' I am using the same account, not different, and support tells me something completely different than listed on the website.

18 Replies

EA_Leeuw
Community Manager
3 years ago
Hey @PluttBug,

Changing the username of an already linked platform account will have no impact on the linked account. You can't force it to change the name, it doesn't work like that sadly. It will most likely update over time, as long as the account hasn't been unlinked.

If you unlink the platform account from your EA account, change the username in the meantime and want to link it again, it is very well possible that the system sees this as a completely new platform account of the same platform, which could mean the following;
"You can unlink your platform accounts from your EA Account if you want to link them to a different EA Account, as long as that EA Account has never had the same account type linked to it before in its lifetime.

That means if you unlink an Xbox gamertag from your EA Account, you can’t link a different Xbox gamertag to it in the future."

This can be found on our website: https://help.ea.com/en/help/account/unlink-gaming-accounts-from-ea-account/.

Hence, why you're now unable to relink it again.
PluttBug
3 years ago
That was not the case whatsoever. I changed my in game name from ManlyKibbles56 to Tenfootgiant, when I went to install the game in game pass it told me I had to link my account. When I signed into my only EA account it told me that I can't link it because my account was linked to ManlyKibbles56. That's the reason I unlinked it, because the website stated I can't relink a different tag. Now when I go to relink my same account it says I can't because it was linked to a different one.
It thinks Tenfootgiant is a different Xbox account. I changed it while it was still linked because I unlinked it trying to fix it.
EA_Leeuw
Community Manager
3 years ago
@PluttBug, were there 2 Xbox personas linked to 1 and the same EA-account?
PluttBug
3 years ago
No, I have one account only from the Xbox app on PC. When I went to install dead space it asked me to sign in with my EA account and when I did, it said I couldn't sign in because it was already linked while showing me the username from my same account from 2 days ago.
Worst part is, I'd just change it back but Microsoft put a 12 character cap and the one I used before was more than 12.
EA_Leeuw
Community Manager
3 years ago
@PluttBug, hmm, that indeed sounds like a series of very unfortunate events. So now Microsoft has also changed their policy of Gamertags?
897349ef0b70bba
3 years ago
I am having the same issue - spend days with your support people and Xbox’s - even conferenced them together until they EA hung up - I changed my Xbox gamer tag from sticky66 to LundyPanda - now I cannot play any EA games - I would love to link on I link my account but cannot - tried building a new EA profile no luck - please help
EA_Leeuw
Community Manager
3 years ago
Hey @897349ef0b70bba5,

As mentioned before, as long as the account was already linked, changing the Gamertag name over on the Xbox side shouldn't interfere with being able to use EA Play via the EA app on PC.
However, if you unlinked the accounts, and changed the Xbox Gamertag in the meantime, that could maybe potentially cause issues.
RancidPain
2 years ago
This same thing is happening to me. I last linked accounts when I had a 360. Recently got a series x but in between I changed my username. Now I too am being told I need to link accounts but when I try I am told that it's linked to my old username. So yes sir, it "is" happening. Please help us.
LincolnRhyme7
2 years ago
if i'm being honest they should revise the policy, atleast until they can figure out what the problem is and fix it, otherwise this could snowball and EA already isn't very liked among the gaming community and when people start losing hundreds, and even thousands of dollars because of a updated username they definitely won't be liked at all please just either fix the issue or allow us to switch our linked accounts
buffetalpaca
2 years ago
I've also just started having this problem, I'm trying to play wild hearts, but I can't because apparently my xbox account isn't linked to my EA account, because I changed from BuffetAlpaca to KugelblitzMT, really irritating tbh