Electronic Arts has put an end to its Online Pass program in part because of feedback from players, according to GamesBeat.
EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg confirmed the news in an email sent to to GamesBeat:
“Yes, we’re discontinuing Online Pass. None of our new EA titles will include that feature.”
The Online Pass program is has been used on a few of EA’s most popular games such as the popular first person shooter Battlefield 3 and the Madden NFL series. The pass is required to access a majority of the games’ online features including the multiplayer modes.
Once you purchase a specific game, a code usually comes on a small flyer inside the game’s case. The code activates the pass and allows to access online features. An Online Pass must be purchased if you decide to play the game on another console. Those who played the EA games never really became big fans of the feature.
“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn’t respond to the format,” Reseburg explained. “We’ve listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”
Online Pass is viewed by publishers as a way to combat the used-game market in which videogame retailer GameStop excels. Publishers were afraid that players were simply buying used games instead of ones that were brand new—specifically the games that featured popular multiplayer modes. Therefore, the online pass was created to have players choose between purchasing the game brand new or paying extra to use the online service.
However, that ploy has come to an end.
“We’re still committed to creating content and services that enhance the game experience well beyond the day you first start playing,” Reseburg said
Among other publishers that use an online pass system are Ubisoft and Activision.
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