Today’s WTF: EA Introduces an Online Pass for its Sports Titles

leaf graphicOh, EA, you were doing so well. You started trying to publish new games in 2008 with Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge, and you took back your estranged children Vince Zampella and Jason West when they got canned by Activision. You even pledged on-going downloadable content support for your titles with “Project Ten-Dollar”, but now the true nature of this initiative rears its ugly head.

Announced today in what may go down as one of the biggest bone-head moves of all time, EA Sports has dropped the word that all Sports titles will come with an online access card similar to the ones in Bad Company 2 or Mass Effect 2. The major difference is that this card will allow the player to access the multiplayer portion, something that gamers have come to take for granted from their titles. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be the first game to include this pass, and one has to wonder if this practice will begin to make its way into other EA titles. Could Crysis 2 require this? Unthinkable to most gamers, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Additionally, this pass will only be available with new copies, so used game purchases and renters will be out of luck.

In an effort to further underline the questionable motives of this maneuver, GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo has pledged his support to EA Sport’s new enterprise, stating that GameStope employees will begin pitching X-Box LIVE and PlayStation Network point cards to used game purchasers.

What do you guys think of this? How do you think it will affect the rental industry? Let us know in the comments.

Source: GamePro

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mitch@gamersushi.com Twitter: @mi7ch Gamertag: Lubeius PSN ID: Lubeius SteamID: Mister_L Origin/EA:Lube182 Currently Playing: PUBG, Rainbow 6: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Total War: Warhammer 2

9 thoughts on “Today’s WTF: EA Introduces an Online Pass for its Sports Titles”

  1. This is a pretty big downside, seeing as how at least a good half of the people I know of rent games before buying them.
    I myself am going to be starting to rent before purchasing, but, I don’t think any sports titles are going to be on my rental list any time soon, so I guess for now I’m safe.

  2. I’m not denying this is a crap move on their parts, but something to keep in mind is that according to the article, there will be 7 day trial periods available for folks who rent or buy used.

    There are probably also folks out there like me who could deal with not having multiplayer, although I don’t play sports games at all so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.

  3. Not as bad as Assassin’s Creed’s shitty DRM but it is still total bull.

    Hopefully it stays on sports titles and does not effect my Crysis 2!

  4. Oh God, when I saw this I couldn’t believe it. The VIP codes I think are a cool idea, while this is terrible. As someone who works at Gamestop, I am NOT looking forward to this, especially since I’m going to have to tell people that the 54.99 they’re paying for a used sports game is only half of a game. Then I’m going to have to explain how it’s not our fault and EA did it and blah blah blah and I’ll have to do that probably 50 times a day.

  5. ?

    I’ve never been dropped during AC2, it’s a great way to keep people like me from stealing their game: It worked.

    Plus, BFBC2, I just click Login, and click my name and boom I’m in, I have to sign in to Steam before I play any of my games anyways, I don’t see what the big deal is with any of this.

  6. Are gaming accessories like the guitars for guitar hero needed ?
    Are they always necessary ?

  7. If what JJ says is true and there’s a trial period then it seems perfectly fine to me.

  8. If they’re trying to curb used game purchases, then I don’t agree with this. But, if their focus is to have people pay extra for the multiplayer component of a game, then that would be fine. They would have to make the single player more of an experience on its own and lower the cost of the game. If they didn’t do that, then I personally would not have a reason to buy their sports games.

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