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EA Introduces "Online Pass" To Get In On Used Games Market

Posted by Soulskill on from the gee-thanks dept.

EA Sports has unveiled a new feature that they hope will help them get a piece of the lucrative used games market: the Online Pass. Each of their new titles will come with a one-time code that allows access to "premium" content and features. Players who buy the games used can get the same content, but will need to pay $10 for the privilege. "According to EA, the content can include anything from title updates and downloads to features like online leagues — and even online gameplay and multiplayer modes. ... EA will offer 10-day trials of Pass content so that users can see what they would be getting. So far, EA seems to be limiting the premium add-on experiment to its sports portfolio. ... The company has apparently gained the support of retailer GameStop, which has been watching with a close eye efforts on the part of publishers to discourage its thriving used games business. According to the retailer, encouraging premium content add-ons still benefits GameStop, since it sells PlayStation Network and Microsoft Points cards. It praised EA's Online Pass as 'forward-thinking.'"

6 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Competitive gaming and premium content by Decollete · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I hope this doesn't end up like those "free-to-play" online games where players can buy "premium content" for in-game advantage

    1. Re:Competitive gaming and premium content by QuantumLeaper · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think so, it sounds like if you buy a New game you get a 'serial' number for DLC but if you buy a Used games, you have to buy the DLC for $10. It more to kill the used game market since they don't get a cut from it.

  2. Re:cheating the laws by redscare2k4 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Also (and sorry about the double post), game companies seem to forget that people who sell their games more often than not use that money to BUY MORE GAMES. Game companies are already getting benefits from the used game market, but as they can't put a figure in their anual reports, they're blind and think they're getting nothing.

  3. To bring the book industry into the 21st century.. by HungryHobo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To bring the book industry into the 21st century I propose a system whereby printed books be changed such that instead of the second half of the book you get a code which will allow you to access the end of the story through the publishers website.
    The ending shall be a free add-on which you may only access through our online service.
    You will be prohibited from transfering access to the ending to anyone since it's a service rather than an item.

    If you want to know the ending after you've bought a book second hand you'll have to pay a 10 dollar fee to us.

  4. Re:cheating the laws by Zaphod+The+42nd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No. Anybody who buys the game from a vendor, first, gets the code and forever has access to the "service" for free. Anybody who then purchases that title legitimately from that first owner cannot access the same content, content WHICH IS ON THE DISC, not some DLC he "could" download, but actual data and code that is on the physical copy he purchased and is within the game for which the user licence is sold and has been transferred. This is 100% EA locking out people who buy used, and forcing them to pay up to them directly, or to go buy from a vendor and not used. I can't disagree with you more.

    --
    GCS/MU/P d- s:- a-- C++++$ UL++ P+ L++ E+ W++ N o K- w--- O M+ V- PS+++ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5- X R++ tv+ b++ DI++ D++ G+ e++ h-
  5. Re:cheating the laws by quantumplacet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Anybody who then purchases that title legitimately from that first owner cannot access the same content, content WHICH IS ON THE DISC

    really, the servers that host online multiplayer games are on the disc? that's an impressive disc.