EA nixes Online Pass program
No more Online Passes in future games.
Electronic Arts is discontinuing its Online Pass program for future games based on negative player response, it has announced.
“Yes, we’re discontinuing Online Pass,” EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg told VentureBeat. “None of our new EA titles will include that feature.”
Online Passes are redeem codes included with new copies of EA titles, like Battlefield 3 or Dead Space 3, required to access a game’s online features. If you purchased a used copy of a game, you’d have to pay $10 to purchase an Online Pass to access its online features.
“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn’t respond to the format,” Reseburg said. “We’ve listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”
Other publishers, such as Ubisoft and Activision, also use an Online Pass system. Unlike EA, they have not announced plans to do away with the program.