DC Universe activation prevents trade-in

By Robert Purchese Published 14 February, 2011

Sony: hero or villain?

Don't get any bright ideas about trading in DC Universe Online for a newer game - you can't.

It's an MMO; it's not allowed.

"Once the PSN key has been consumed with a disk it cannot be resold / replayed with the second user adding a sub. Only the original consumer can use that account. Disk and account are one," a Sony rep told QuickJump.

PC gamers are familiar with this approach, but for console gamers it's a step beyond Online Pass, i.e. buy the game second-hand and pay around $10 to unlock multiplayer.

Sony Online Entertainment, maker of DC Universe Online, doesn't offer spare paid-for activation codes. The code supplied with the disc is all there is.

Eurogamer gave DC Universe Online 6/10.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • customfirmware #1 1 year ago

    So this is nothing new it just applies to a new game.

  • njsykora #2 1 year ago

    Well that sucks for the people who I've seen buying preowned copies in Gamestation. When I got my copy there the guy specifically told me I couldn't do the 10-day refund thing but I could trade it in. Wonder how many complaints they're getting.

  • asphaltcowboy #3 1 year ago

    Foolish. I don't have a problem with Project $10 nor if SOE were offering spare paid-for activation codes... but this is silly!

    EDIT: In this specific case, it doesn't really bother me, as I won't be playing it.
    Edited by asphaltcowboy at 14/02/11 @ 12:47

  • LetsGo #4 1 year ago

    Cutting nose off to spite face? I mean, sure, they'll lose money on the full price retail game but if someone is going to take the game from someone who has stopped playing and paying the monthly fee, don't they have an opportunity to gain a new customer who will shell out 'x' pounds a month?

  • danclarke #5 1 year ago

    I don't think there's anything wrong with the publishers trying to protect themselves, however what I can't understand is why this game has an RRP of £39.99 in the first place? Surely it would have made more sense to sell this game at £19.99 if I'm expected to pay a subscription service? And i don't buy into the 'free trial' justifying a full price, because I wouldn't even consider buying the game if there wasn't any way to try it.

  • SlackMaster #6 1 year ago

    Considering you pay anything from 29.99 to 39.99 for the game and then a monthly fee, with no ability to trade in it makes it very costly for what is atm a mediocre game.

  • Wendelius #7 1 year ago

    It's not silly. It's an MMO. Once you have bought WoW and activated your copy, you can't give your disks to someone else and let them activate a new account. Nothing new, though it might surprise PS3 players who never played an MMO.

  • Goffee #8 1 year ago

    I'm sure (a bit like EA's reactivation codes) Sony will soon offer second user codes fora fee. But anything that puts a bit of a dent in piracy is AGT

  • Bradach #9 1 year ago

    This can only hurt sales. Bad move imo

  • thebuzzard #10 1 year ago

    I cant think of subscription MMO that would allow this, none PC gamers may not be used to this but its more the fault of gamestation or whoever sells it on than Sonys if they sell it 2nd hand.

  • RumpyStumpy #11 1 year ago

    So they want to kill their game. A monthly sub has to be worth more than a 1 off payment. Bird in the hand and all.

    I see this lasting for another 18 months before they shut the service/servers.

    Although I hope I'm wrong as I want MMO's to succeed on consoles as I'm waiting for Morrowind to go MMO.

  • Aradiel #12 1 year ago

    I really wonder at the point of this - when you buy the game, you get some online time, and the rest is monthly subs.

    What if someone doesn't want to play it anymore, and decides to trade it in and give it to someone else?
    If that was allowed, it would actually result in Sony being given money by buyer number 2, who will have to purchase a monthly subscription (i.e. no free play time with second hand purchase)

    This way? Sony gets a lapsed customer, and if the buyer number 2 doesn't decide to buy a new copy (i.e. "I will try it out for a low price, but I won't pay £30+";) Sony gets no money.

    Well done.

  • butler` #13 1 year ago

    mind = blown

  • GamesConnoisseur #14 1 year ago

    Well looking it at in another way...

    A bored DCU MMO player decided not to play on with his/her DCU game and now LEFT on his/her shelf permanently and account unactivated

    However, should DCU game data disk (after all what it is?!) be able to be traded in and thus the no longer interested account may be dormant but a NEW gamer will come along and install the second hand copy at admittly cheap price but still PAYs full monthly subs if he/she was interested. a NEW MMO subscriber is then captured by alternative avenue.

    So which seems to make a better sense in allowing for growth of DCU as a console MMO? No skin off my nose either way, but wondering if they did weighted in all the options?

  • ZizouFC #15 1 year ago

    Game doesn't work with my ISP, so now I have an awesome DC themed coaster.

    Would've been better for me and Sony if I could just sell it on.

  • dirtysteve #16 1 year ago

    There goes my only reason for choosing PS3 over PC.

  • ryandsimmons #17 1 year ago

    I traded this in yesterday. Both CEX and Gamestation were happy to trade it.

  • Gaiduku #18 1 year ago

    Yeah this is nothing new. Same applied to FFXI on Xbox 360

  • kosigan #19 1 year ago

    So... you pay full price for the game, plus a monthly subscription, it scores 6/10 and you can't trade it in. How many more reasons do Sony want to give you not to buy this game? Ridiculous.

  • actionfitz #20 1 year ago

    Is this really a surprise to anyone?
    It's an MMO... You can't trade in WoW, WAR, AOC, Aion etc...

    I guess the console MMO first timers might be shocked... but here's the deal:
    When you buy your MMO disk or Digital download over steam etc... your £30 or so covers your 1st months' access to the game.
    NO MMO GAME ships with a 'Free' month.

    If someone bought DC Online from the second hand store (gamestop etc), the game's makers - who have to maintain the 'Service' (which is what an MMO is... a Service) have gotten fuck all of your money.
    Why should you have access?

    You can trade in a product you have bought...
    you can't trade in access to a service once you feel like playing something else.

    Suck it up.
    or stick to single player / limited multiplayer lobby type games.

  • Razzajazz #21 1 year ago

    Can't really see what the big deal is, as many people have said, this is standard for an MMO, and I wouldn't expect to trade in a used activation key for any PC MMO. And you can still buy the disk second hand, and then just buy a separate sub from Station Online or whatever. Move along, nothing to see here....

  • Cosquae #22 1 year ago

    I can understand why they went this way. Think of it like this...

    Player gets bored of game after 2 months, decides not to resub. Can't sell game (probably could, but no one would want to buy it) and so game sits on shelf for a while. News article comes out showcasing new and exciting upgrades, additions and changes to the game. Player looks on shelf, dusts off forgotten game and resubs.

    Happens all the time in MMOs. If the people could readily sell their MMO games like normal console games then the whole idea of resubbing on a whim becomes a lot harder since you would have to repurchase the game. Just remember, the game you want to sell today isn't the same game that may pique your interest again in 6-12 months time... or as is known in MMO circles as 'soon (tm)'

  • Lee_Morris #23 1 year ago

    This is obvious though. I put 2 and 2 together, when I bobbed the code in to start playing, that no one else would be able to use it.
    Edited by Lee_Morris at 14/02/11 @ 15:12

  • slippysloppy #24 1 year ago

    Got this game at the weekend and I really like it but there's quite a few problems with it. Firstly the game is dead, there's no one playing it. The beta was rammed but I was pretty much the only person around on Saturday. Also queueing up for multiplayer events is lesson in patience, even if the queue says 5mins it can take an hour to get on. Either the servers are poor or there's so few people playing it takes ages to wait for enough people who want to play an instance.

    Am very surprised Sony won't let people activate a paid for subscription after purchasing a second hand game. It's pretty short sighted if the original owner didn't want to pay the sub but a new one does.

  • Ultrasoundwave #25 1 year ago

    I traded this a week ago and Game gave me £22 for it.

    Never has the term "LOL" been more appropriate.

  • DirectAim #26 1 year ago

    And this is why I dont buy games like this.

  • skullstorm #27 1 year ago

    I don't know why people are having a go at Sony for this are you really that out of touch that you don't know how mmo's work? Just like all mmo's you can't really trade them in or set up a sub with a second hand copy because you'll be missing the CD key which entitles you to an account (and no buying or trading accounts doesnt count). Just because it's on a console shouldn't make it any different. If it was then it would be a kick in the teeth to PC players.

    Besides you CAN trade it in, they just don't want you to which is entirely fair.

    And yes, I know some people have said the same thing.

  • Toothball #28 1 year ago

    This isn't that new of a concept on consoles. It was much the same when Sega release Phantasy Star Online. That came with an activation code that only worked once. Didn't trouble me on the Dreamcast, but I ran into problems with my second hand Gamecube copy, as by the time I thought to play it they weren't producing new ones. Fortunately I found a copy of PSO ep 3 with an unused code.

    Years later when I came to buy Phantasy Star Universe I was warned before I bought it that they wouldn't be accepting trade ins. Presumably then they were expecting the same code system, but it turned out not to be the case that time and a few months later there were some in the used racks.
    Edited by Toothball at 14/02/11 @ 13:26

  • DefendoCroc #29 1 year ago

    Par for the course for Sony, masters of bad decision making they are!

  • Drygore #30 1 year ago

    @Wendelius

    Not true, at all. WoW doesn't lock your discs at all. I've used friends discs several times. Last time was two days ago.

  • Markusdragon #31 1 year ago

    In summary, never pay £40 for a subscription-based MMO.

  • jonfon #32 1 year ago

    @Drygore :
    But don't you still have to pay to set up your Account (ie buy your own account / account code) so you can log in with your own account?

    You don't pay for the Client, but you pay the RRP to create your account (which usually comes with the first month free).

  • Huntcjna #33 1 year ago

    I have to say I think this is incorrect. A friend of mine bought this second hand last week as new copies were scarce. He bought a 30 day sub via the DC Online section of PSN and then booted the game installed it and went about his business. As long as the game sees an active subscription it seems to work without any problems.

  • smithdown #34 1 year ago

    I am getting increasingly worried about the state of gaming. It feels a bit like the market is reaching critical mass, with more and more games coming out that have had a terrific amount of money spent on them during development only to be greeted with general indifference by gamers. With the recent announcements that Enslaved and Mirror's Edge were relative 'flops' and won't be receiving sequels (despite being well received by critics), the well-publicised collapse of APB and it's developer, not to mention the speed with which games seem to drop in price - all I can think is that this situation is unsustainable. Activision have already put the brakes on anything which isn't bringing home the bacon, and with other publishers likely to follow we will see a gradual homogenisation of gaming in to a few, proven genres, with risks only being taken by indies and downloadable titles. This at a time when technology is so far advanced that we should be seeing an explosion of creativity in gaming as devs are more able than ever to express their visions and not be bound by the limits of the hardware. WARNING: Grim times approaching.

  • Murton #35 1 year ago

    I was toying with the idea of getting this for me and my girlfriend after the sub price was reduced but two things are putting me off.

    Firstly, she's a sub-account to me. This is because the set-up screens say that masters and subs share content at no extra cost. I've since learned that it wouldn't have mattered when we only had the one console and still doesn't matter now that we have two as my account had to be set up on her PS3 in order for her to download stuff anyway. Unfortunately the way that activiation codes work is one shot to a console and/or PSN ID and that means that we can't both play unless we use a single PSN ID to do so.

    Secondly, and I'm glad I know this now rather than finding out later in a failed experiment, we'd need another disc in order to create a second account as no other method of obtaining a code exists.

    Now we're not strangers to MMOs at all, we played SWG together in the good old days, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Guild Wars to name a few, but this is the first time we've needed to buy a second copy of the game to play together. Through demos and "buddy keys" we've always been able to avoid the unneccessary double purchase and each get our own sub, she even bought an additional code for SWG, an SOE game, so that she could have an alt character, I guess I was expecting DCO to offer something similar.

    I'm still interested in the game and want to give it a try, but between acitivation and subscription the costs are just prohibitive if we're both to give it a go.

  • mingster #36 1 year ago

    I actually think this article is wrong.
    You can log in with any active account subscription.
    You can buy the subscription separately.

  • paulf #37 1 year ago

    it'll be free to play in a couple of months anyway

  • albinac #38 1 year ago

    this should worry everybody because sony is directly telling us that if we buy their games you are not allowed to sell it.who the fuck is sony and where do the think they are, trying to take away the rigths of the consumer in every way, you cant have security coppies of your €70-150 games because they say so, you cant sell on our games because they say so, you will pay for and do what we say about games or you will pay for your crimes. who the hell are these pricks(dictators should all be shot dead like hitller).what is becomming of our rigths and freedom.

  • Goonboy #39 1 year ago

    well shit, i sold thsi to a guy on play.com a couple of weeks ago and i havent heard anything from him yet...

  • RodHull #40 1 year ago

    And this is why it'll fail. I predict a free to play model by year's end.

  • Duchessprozac #41 1 year ago

    To those saying WoW locks you in to the discs. It doesn't.

    You can use the discs but have to pay for a license to use them. From what it seems here, You don't even have the option of buying a license for the game, leaving the new owner with an expensive beer mat.

  • atarianer #42 1 year ago

    Its just an expensive 30-Day Demo, i knew it though i bought it!
    So ... ?

  • AOFanboi #43 1 year ago

    The main reason I haven't bought it is that the PS3 version is laughably more expensive than the PC version (NOK 180 to be precise). Why?

    MMO publishers need to decide if they want to make money from monthly subs OR paid box + free-to-play + microtransactions. Both will be death - apart from the licensed content, what do you really get from this compared to Champions Online?

  • CB.Gamestation #44 1 year ago

    Funny. Even Sony get their facts wrong. Would be nice if gaming sites actually checked these stories first. I've sold loads of preowned copies with no returns as you can indeed buy the sub from the PSN store. As Sony would know. Strange this story.

  • damoxuk #45 1 year ago

    This is old news to people who regularly play MMO's - obvious even.

    However for the people who have never played MMO's or have a PC and not used to this kind of thing then it's gonna be a blow.

    But Game/gamestation should not be allowing this to be traded in at all.

  • bdc #46 1 year ago

    Just like literally every single other MMO.

    I can't believe this is a news story, there is absolutely no need to slate Sony for this.

  • Number1Laing #47 1 year ago

    Uhh so it's like every other MMO then? Why is this a story?

  • AOFanboi #48 1 year ago

    I think it's a news story mostly because of the PS3 angle: Console gamers are used to be able to resell their used games, without having a "key tied to the disc" kind of deal - recent DLC bonuses being an exception. PC games are used to getting a one-time key, but is that really married to some identification on the disc? Sounds expensive.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #49 1 year ago

    Sorry but this is just a fishing for site hits bit.

    Going with everyone else who actally have common sence and before you got 'well PC is different', this ISN'T new to console formats at all, FFXI, PSO (at least the online part) and Everquest Online Adventures (another Sony product btw) ALL have made it clear that it was a one time purchase only, most of are just 'another reason to hate..' posts here are just looking at the headlines but not really reading/understanding what is actally in question here, this is simply how MMOs (or games that required account linking) have always worked, even if the game 'works' after pre-owned you can't expect in to work 'as new' anyway.

    I can easily say that both Game and Gamestation see a sale as a sale, remember on the tradeins they get 100% of the money back from the sale so in the end they are laughing to the bank on that one, I've already seen copies of TR, APB, and Auto Assult and even Hellgate still on sale months after the servers have been closed - simple rule is if you KNOW it's server based accounts, never ever try and buy preowned (or in some cases new) without looking up things yourself, I think thatsv one thing this gen really needs to relearn and thats 'word of mouth/gossip is never 100% true'

  • FortysixterUK #50 1 year ago

    Thats was obvious.

  • Acrid #51 1 year ago

    I thought this was a given ?