Moore: Gamers "understand" Online Pass

By Tom Bramwell Published 28 June, 2010

Says it's his job to stop you trading in.

EA Sports president Peter Moore believes that gamers "recognise the business model implications of new versus used" game sales, and consequently appreciate the logic behind the publisher's "Online Pass" system.

"Whilst I'm not sure they're angry, they absolutely look at what's going on in the marketplace and understand totally what it is we're doing," Moore told Kotaku.

EA Sports' Online Pass system is part of its Project Ten Dollar initiative to reduce second-hand game sales, from which publishers currently make no money.

The idea with Online Pass is that consumers redeem a free code supplied with a new game in order to unlock the multiplayer component. Second-hand buyers can pay $10 via PlayStation Network or Xbox Live for equivalent access.

Rather than focus on this apparent attempt to devalue second-hand copies of games, however, Moore said it was about discouraging you from selling by subliminally encouraging you to try multiplayer when you might have ignored it in the past.

"One thing I have to do, and it's my job, and my development team's job, and my marketing team's job, is make you not want to trade the game in," he explained.

"From our perspective, [it's] conditioning you to punch a code in, to get you going, get some digital content, and conditioning you to look at digital content as a value-add to the game experience itself."

Online Pass will be implemented in all EA Sports titles on PS3 and Xbox 360 in future, beginning with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, which is due out in Europe this Friday.

Check out Eurogamer's interview with Peter Moore at this year's E3.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (66) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • LiveForever #1 2 years ago

    Tripe Tripe and more Tripe.
    Moore clearly understands the EA philosophy.

    Stop posting this rubbish eurogamer.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 08:34

  • TurboBailey #2 2 years ago

    What about the Rental market? Its gonna affect that. Who is gonna want to rent a game with broken online

  • oupe #3 2 years ago

    "One thing I have to do, and it's my job, and my development team's job, and my marketing team's job, is make you not want to trade the game in," he explained.

    Then stop making rubbish games and stop recycling your sports annuals.

  • Eraser #4 2 years ago

    There's a difference between "understanding" and "appreciating".

  • pacifika #5 2 years ago

    If they want to stop second hand games flooding the market, why not have a EA tradein discount where u can pay $10 less on Fifa 11 when giving back Fifa 10 to EA?

    The difference between what we have with/without the online pass is that at the moment everybody has multiplayer. Netto effect is that some people will pay $10 for something that's free today. Guess who's popular?

    Thing is though this is not aimed at the gamer, because if you buy a game new you couldn't care less about the second hand market. Unless you buy it for your kids.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 08:57

  • metalangel #6 2 years ago

    Yeah, but what about you assholes shutting the servers down? I saw a copy of NASCAR 09 from Blockbuster the other day and thought I'd get it so I could play against my friend who has it and is really into NASCAR, but then remembered you closed the European servers back in February. They're still up in North America but can I play on those? NOPE! You also in your vast wisdom decided to make 'NA' and 'EU' versions that cannot play against each other.

    Oh, I understand, all right.

    Do you 'understand' that I'm no longer a customer of yours because of shit like this?

  • afghan_jones #7 2 years ago

    EA, go fuck yourselves.

    Yes, I get that you need to make money, thats fine. And maybe you want to make that money by shafting consumers rather than building value into your products. Thats also fine I guess.

    But dont try and take a dump on my head and expect me to say thanks for the hat.


  • Jonathan_Fakenham #8 2 years ago

    By the rate this is going, someone needs to implement DLC code auto-recognition through Kinect/PS Eye.

  • Praetorianer #9 2 years ago

    @metalangel

    You're right. To be honest, I can understand that Moore has to maximize profits for his company and its shareholders. But what really, really pisses me off is the way he tries to do it, like all he thinks about is the experience for the customer/gamer, trying to improve that and prevent the original buyer from reselling his stuff.

    Your example clearly shows that he (read EA) doesn't give a shit, because as soon as something isn't profitable no longer, it will get shut down. I am sure that there is a paragraph in the EULA, that gives EA every right to do so...turning off a feature you already paid for (as soon as that feature isn't profitable any more for EA). The incompatibility of the different region's versions is also a joke. Yeah, we live in a globalized world and are all (more or less) connected through the intarwebs, but no, you're not allowed to play with your European version of the game on American server. What a joke.

    Again, what really pisses me off is the hypocrisy in all of this...saying, that he wants the best for the customers, while smiling and silently thinking "haha I'll rip people off as much as I can. Let's see how far we can take this before they stop buying our products.".

  • woodnotes #10 2 years ago

    "Says it's his job to stop you trading in."

    Surely this is the wrong way around. The subscription will stop people buying pre-owned games, not stop them trading in.

  • Dylbot #11 2 years ago

    Wow, somebody's been going to the Kotick school of PR.

  • Jay-ITFC #12 2 years ago

    I don't want to "appreciate" this shit nor do I want to be "conditioned" to it. Fuck off EA.

  • sjmlondon #13 2 years ago

    At the end of the day if more games were AAA with excellent multiplayer then I and I'm sure a lot of people will fork out £40. But at the moment there is still a lot of shovelware, in particular movie tie-in rubbish and interminably boring EA's annual sport's rehashes which only warrant renting or picking up cheap second hand.

    Despite EA's Battlefield Bad Bad Company 2 being an excellent game, the so called VIP / $10 aspect was a complete rip off with the VIP aspect just being different game modes made available on the same 5 maps. So far we've seen no new genuine map packs. The actual new content including onslaught mode, specault guns are not free. Very misleading.

  • Fab4 #14 2 years ago

    I understand it alright...it still doesnt stop me thinking is piece of cunting shit.

    Your job is to make games people want to keep...cunt.

  • nuanimal #15 2 years ago

    This is fantastic. Wait don't neg me!

    Think about it.

    I go into a shop and want to buy a pre-owned copy of FIFA 11. Given the project $10 dollar scheme... the trading in values would be less (Gamestation, GAME, and others should see that they'd need to decrease the price to compensate for the adidtional purchase of online play) - therefore the resell price will also be lower. For gamers like me who don't care about online play it's not too bad.

    The retail stores make a massive margin on preowned games. Seriously, they could resell FIFA 11, 1 month after release PO-ed for £20, have a sticker saying that it requires an additional £10 EA Online Pass... and still make a better margin, than selling new - and be cheaperfor the consumer.

    What I'd like to know is if/what effect this has on Microsoft Xbox LIVE Gold terms and conditions?



  • brseg #16 2 years ago

    It makes trade-ins worth slightly less. Which makes taking a punt on a 35 quid new release more risky. Ah, hang on…

    @pacifika - yup, I certainly dont upgrade Fifa each year. In fact, since I play fifa offline anyway, these new measures should make last years version even cheaper... The sports games do have a real problem, in that there is *no* reason to keep last years game.

    I think the proverbial might hit the fan when a customer claims to be misled by a purchase, not understanding which bits are included and which are not (be it new or 2nd hand). Its fine for us here, we spend time following the tech/gaming news, other people do not. It will need a huge banner across the box, not hidden in the small print. DLC gets away with it, since its an 'extra' to the main game. This is not an 'extra'.

    Edit: @nuanimal - you got in just before me!
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:01

  • Guildenstern #17 2 years ago

    Where did that silly idea that EA didn't suck that much anymore come from, anyway?

  • I\'mListening #18 2 years ago

    How can a company that provides yearly updates to all its sports franchises expect consumers NOT to trade in their old games? These games have a shelf life of one year only and after that what is the point - everyone else has moved on to the newer version?

  • Xboxfanuk #19 2 years ago

    Simple idea...buy a game new. Now EA follow this up with 3-6 month releases of your titles on Games on Demand then you got a winner.

  • YoshiMcTaggis #20 2 years ago

    Well it works because I won't be trading ea games in the future. Because I won't be buying them in the first place.

  • brseg #21 2 years ago

    Was thinking, we all poke fun at Game/Gamestation etc, but the 2nd hand market is keeping some competition in the market. Publishers will go all-out for online distribution for the next gen consoles. They will control the prices, it'll be 60 quid for new games, fewer price reductions, with no trade-ins even possible. 'Components' of games will each carry a price, or rental over a period of time. Kids will look back on this decade and think we had it lucky.

  • Cronan #22 2 years ago

    Here's the thing - the effect of the second hand market in games has both negative and positive effects on games publishers.

    I buy mainly new games, sell them when I'm finished with them, and use that cash to buy the next new game. If the price I get for selling my games is going to drop, then I am going to buy fewer games, and games publishers will make less money out of me.

    On the other hand, I have a buddy who only ever buys second hand games. When he's done with them, he sells them on again. Games publishers make no money out of him, except that his activities drive the market that allow me to sell my games.

    So it's complicated. Reducing the value of second hand games is one way that games publishers and developers can try reduce the negative effect that the secondary market has on their business. But there is a better way. The games that I don't end up selling, or keep for much longer, are the multiplayer games with long lives, the Halos and Modern Warfares. My buddy, who only buys second-hand games, also tends to hang on to the long-lived, high-quality multiplayer games. Bungie and Infinity Ward know how to reduce the number of second hand sales - make your game so good, and with such a long tail, that it's pretty much impossible to buy second hand copies of it.

    Funny how EA don't have that as an option.

  • matt6666 #23 2 years ago

    douche

  • Paulie_P #24 2 years ago

    He has succeeded. I will no longer trade any EA games in because I will no longer buy them in the first place.

  • YoshiMcTaggis #25 2 years ago

    Stop stealing my joke!

  • jpar123 #26 2 years ago

    I am still puzzled why people are upset about this.
    You want to play on EA servers? Buy their game from them (aka New).

    It ain't rocket science and I don't see how any one can justify playing on EA's servers without paying EA for the access.

  • CaptainQuint #27 2 years ago

    I just hope this doesn't affect my LOVEFiLM subscription. I don't play sports games, but surely it's only a matter of time before they apply this to shooters etc.

  • trevd72 #28 2 years ago

    Two choices.

    Buy sealed or Pirate.

    Take the power back and tell them bitches to play fair or you won't play at all. To be honest most games are crap online anyway cos of the arseholes you have to deal with, so this should bring the price down of the 2nd hand copy if you only want to play and complete and sell on again.

    I know I contradicted myself, but cheaper 2nd hand games is not something I think EA have thought about. So we might be able to stick it to them anyway.

  • Cronan #29 2 years ago

    Here is a list of the forthcoming EA games. How many of these are a) not shovelware, and b) no crap? How many of them will be infested with Online Pass?

    By my count, two interesting games (maybe three if you like Battlefield), a couple of games with major suckage, one generic shooter, eight pieces of shovelware, a half-dozen games with sequelitis, a heap of meh, and a big dose of fail.

    Well done EA, what a line-up!

    2010
    APB (PC) Will suck big donkey balls
    Crysis 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) Generic tech-demo shooter
    EA Sports Active 2.0 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, iPhone, iPod Touch) Shovelware
    EA Sports MMA (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iPhone, iPod Touch) Poor man's UFC
    FIFA 11 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PS2, Nintendo DS, PSP, Mobile) Annualised Crap
    Grand Slam Tennis (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) Shovelware
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: The Videogame (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, Mobile) Film license crap
    Madden NFL 11 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, iPhone, iPod Touch) Annualised Crap
    Medal of Honor (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) Weak series reboot attempt
    NCAA Football 11 Annualised Crap
    Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Annualised Crap
    NHL 11 (PS3, Xbox 360) Annualised Crap
    Skate 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) Meh
    The Sims 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS) Double meh
    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Annualised Crap

    2011
    Bulletstorm (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) Could be interesting
    Dead Space 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) Poor sequel
    Dragon Age 2 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360,PC) Poor sequel

    No Date
    Battlefield 3 Nice if you like the franchise. I don't.
    Burnout 6 Meh
    Mass Effect 3 Yes!
    Rock Band 3 More plastic crap?
    The Godfather III Shovelware
    Project Mercury No idea
    Hasbro Family Game Night 3 - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii Really, EA? Shovelware
    MONOPOLY Streets - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS Shovelware
    MySims SkyHeroes - Xbox 360, Ps3, Wii, Nintendo DS Shovelware
    RISK: Factions - XBLA Shovelware
    Spare Parts - XBLA, PSN Shovelware
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:43

  • jpar123 #30 2 years ago

    @trevd72
    I don't think breaking the law (piracy is illegal in most developed countries) is 'taking power back'.

    @Cronan
    Did you just put down Dragon Age 2 as 'poor sequel'? Can I have a look at your crystal ball please? Last I checked it wasn't officially announced, let alone previewed.
    At least try to appear 'objective'. Yes I understand you are upset cause you can't 'stick it to the man' anymore.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:44

  • Cronan #31 2 years ago

    Anyway, it's copyright infringement, not piracy. Copyright infringement is not typically a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.

    But don't do it kids!

    @jpar123 - what on earth are you wibbling on about child?
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:46

  • linksdad #32 2 years ago

    On the flip side, it devalues the 2nd hand value of the games and this 'perceived low value' will make people think that there is something wrong with the game. Most crap games are cheap because they are heavily cut in price after week one, buyers understand AND appreciate that.

    Cant fault him for wanting to give people who buy the games a reason to not trade them in though. Ultimately this boils down to quality and longevity (and not for the sake of it!). Concentrate your efforts there Peter.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:50

  • ignatiusjreilly #33 2 years ago

    I don't think breaking the law... is 'taking power back'.

    Not that I'm advocating it here but yes, "taking the power back" often involves breaking the law :)

  • neems #34 2 years ago

    Gamers understand Online Pass - is it particularly complicated, or are gamers regarded as being mentally deficient? I can also tie my own shoelaces (although it is a somewhat laborious process).

    I have noticed that my local Blockbuster doesn't have UFC 2010 for rental - presumably because of the single use multiplayer code. I'm only vaguely interested in the game, I'm certainly not going to buy it. But if I had rented it, and really enjoyed it, I would have bought it, making money for the publishers, the devs and Blockbuster, while giving me what I wanted at the same time. Nevermind.

    Personally, I keep hold of single player games that I particularly enjoyed. I have traded in a fair few games, but I still have Uncharted 2 (I know it has multiplayer, but I've only even looked at it the once), God of War series, Demon's Souls, a few others. Online play alone will not make me keep a game. It simply has to be worth keeping.

    Instead of second hand games, I will simply spend my money on second hand books and movies

  • jpar123 #35 2 years ago

    @Cronan Just showing how your so called 'EA list' is filled with fictional games that haven't been announced yet. Also how mind-boggling stupid it is to 'judge' something that doesn't exist. :)

    'Dragon Age2 - Poor sequel' That right there is some comedy gold! ^_^


    @neems If you buy second hand movies/books rather than second hand games, what exactly did the publisher (EA in this case) lose from you? Nothing. EA is actually better off since they don't have to support / bandwidth cost (if you decide to play multiplayer) in your case.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 10:56

  • metalangel #36 2 years ago

    @jpar: It was inevitable some would say this.

    I buy FIFA 11 new, play it for 12 months.
    You buy FIFA 11 new, play it for six months. You trade it in, Joe Sixpack buys it and plays it for six months.

    Result: Two copies of FIFA 11 have been played online for 12 months, what difference does it make who's doing the playing?

  • ignatiusjreilly #37 2 years ago

    Re: rentals

    All EA 'Online Pass' titles have a seven day trial for multiplayer, so you can still rent a game and play online without paying anything (except Gold sub obv).

  • jpar123 #38 2 years ago

    @metalangel Nothing except you paid EA?
    So if I go to a buffet and get my friend who normally eats 3 dishes to eat 1, I can eat his surplus amount?
    That doesn't make any logical sense.

    Are you really going to suggest EA is ripping people off when EA says 'Please pay us if you want to play on our servers.'?
    Then my god, every game company has been ripping people off for the last 15 years!

  • neems #39 2 years ago

    As I understand it, for most online games the 'online service' will consist of servers that are used for background tasks - match making, stat tracking etc. The actual games themselves tend to be p2p (on console at least). I am not convinced that the additional cost to EA of my playing a 2nd hand copy of Fifa 11 will be an amount that is even measurable (maybe in Zimbabwe).

    I am always happy to be proved wrong though, it's not an area in which I have any great expertise.

  • metalangel #40 2 years ago

    @jpar: I'm saying that exactly the same server capacity is being used whether one person plays that copy of the game for 12 months or 12 people each play that copy for one month. It's not like more than one person can be using that particular copy's 'allocation' of server space at once.

    Any supposed cost in 'running the servers' was factored into the original purchase price of the game, because for all they know, each original purchaser could play their copy of the game online forever.

    There is no justification or explanation here apart from the simple fact that yes, they are ripping you off, and purely because they can. They can't complain about being hard done by either, they're the ones insisting you connect via their servers and can't play peer to peer.

  • ignatiusjreilly #41 2 years ago

    If the Online Pass was about getting back money for use of the servers it would cost 7p.

    We all know it is there to try and discourage sales of second-hand titles, let's not pretend there is any other reasoning for it.

  • Cronan #42 2 years ago

    jpar789 - you don't look very hard, do you?

    From the Dragon Age: Origins wikipedia page:

    "BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk outed a sequel in an interview with joystiq.com. He said "I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age 2 is the technology"

  • Rorsch #43 2 years ago

    People just need to stop buying games with this BS embedded.

  • des #44 2 years ago

    Interesting how they are attacking the user...why not attack the retailer,the one that is selling used games and simply demand some percentage

    But then who would market and sell their crap...money,money,money

  • Buran #45 2 years ago

    What developers and publishers seems that don't understand is that second hand sales are usually invested in new game purchases. So if second hand sales fades their global sales will shrink.

    On the other hand, I never understand why renting games is tolerated: in the video market the rental movies and the ones for sale had totally different tax, and is clear that some sp games sales are killed by rentals. As Alan Wake: the people rents AW and buys Red Dead Redemption, and then AW 5+ years development ends in a monumental flop...

  • layleeloo #46 2 years ago

    Personally for gamers and the industry its a great idea. However for the independent second hand retailers it could be dire.

    Good for gamers as I'm sick of being the only one of my mates who buys all my games new on release, then I have to wait weeks to play with them as they are cheap skates who buy every game second hand. If you love games and appreciate the craft then get your hands in your pockets! We will all moan when the games industry drops off because no one is making money from it due to piracy and second hand games.

    My close friend owns a games shop and sells second hand so I fear for the consequences for him, but I do understand and agree with the reasons on why its being done, as offering bonus content like Battlefield did offered no incentive to buy new over used.

    I totally agree with what @I\'mListening says about EA and yearly updates and perhaps this would have been better coming from a company who doesn't churn out yearly revisions, but then they do make other core games like Battlefield etc. Plus smaller companies wouldn't have the balls to do it as they couldn't afford any negative impact. Like anything it has plus and minus points but if it does encourage more new sales then im sorry but I am all for that.
    Edited by 2 at 28/06/10 @ 12:41

  • layleeloo #47 2 years ago

    @ Cronan. Can you tell me the lottery numbers for Saturday please? Because if you know MMA is a poor mans UFC, before its even been released you must have mystic powers so can you share some around!!

    Considering the majestic job EA make of the Fight night games, there is every possibility it could trounce the fairly poorly responsive UFC. I have UFC and like it despite its flaws, but I'll reserve judgement until I've played both thanks.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 12:31

  • RandomRash #48 2 years ago

    @ I\'mListening #19

    you're right, you hit the nail on the head there, he says he wants us to stop trading in games, so i'll keep fifa 10 and not buy fifa 11

  • RobTheBuilder #49 2 years ago

    No no Mr Moore, we ARE angry.

    If you want us to stop trading in, then stop making our purchases obselete in 12 months (6 this year).
    We want to trade our games because you keep forcing us to buy a new one if we want to be up to date.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 12:38

  • jpar123 #50 2 years ago

    @metalangel I've seen a lot of 'forum' logic around which makes little sense, but saying EA is ripping people off when they say 'Please pay us to use our servers' has to be up there as the most illogical reasoning I have ever seen.

  • RobTheBuilder #51 2 years ago

    @jpar123 I'm pretty sure that's why I pay for an Xbox Live subscription.

  • Feanor #52 2 years ago

    The only people who are angry are people who buy EA games used instead of new. You people aren't EA's customers, and have no right to expect anything from them.

  • RobTheBuilder #53 2 years ago

    @Feanor Rubbish. Total rubbish.

    Second hand buyers are kids, people with not so much money, people who are future buyers of new games.
    Not to mention that by doing this EA lose custom because people are unable to trade in.

  • Stratix #54 2 years ago

    Actually, if I wasn't that bothered about the multiplayer part in the first place, I'd save the key and get more money for trading it in.

  • metalangel #55 2 years ago

    @jpar: If you'd stop saying everything is illogical for a moment and actually read what I've written, you'd see it's entirely logical the way I and others have worked it out. Because we've had a lot of practice doing just that.

    This has been debated many times before on this site and I can't really be bothered going through it all yet again just because you've started participating in the comments again for the first time in five years and think you have some new and salient points to raise. Do a search for Project Ten Dollar or EA Sports and you'll find this is ground we've covered many times already.

    Here's one to get you started: http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/usd10-...

  • Geordiemp #56 2 years ago

    I dont understand it.

    We have 2 Ps3's in our house.Does that mean I cna only use the disk in one of them to play on-line, but not the other.

    If so that sucks, if I buy a game NEW, it should work the same on both consoles !

    Anyone the wiser ?

    What if I change consoles, will the new disk work on the new console, is the code entered linked to your PSN or the console ?

    If its your PSN ID, can another player play online on same console.

    So confusing ....
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 14:24

  • brseg #57 2 years ago

    @Geordiemp - dont be silly, EA have said that you *do* understand how the online pass works...

    My guess is (from xbox point of view) its linked to your login ID, not the console. Hence, as you said, you're screwed. On xbox you'd be screwed twice, since you'd need 2 xbox live subs anyway.

  • ignatiusjreilly #58 2 years ago

    Do I need an unique Online Pass for every user on my console?
    No. One Online Pass will give online access to multiple users logged into the console where the Online Pass was first activated (subject to the console manufacturer’s and EA online terms of service).

    Also, the user that activated the Online Pass will be allowed to access online features on other consoles (of the same manufacturer) by logging into the same account credentials that they used when they enabled the Online Pass.

    Lots of questions can be answered here: http://www.easport s.com/onlinepass

  • brseg #59 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly - have read it: he would need 2 vouchers for 2 consoles (separate IDs), I think. Other cases are dealt with, just not that one. Correct me if wrong etc. I guess they could physically swap consoles and log in - that would work!
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 15:15

  • alcides #60 2 years ago

    "From our perspective, [it's] conditioning you ... and conditioning you ... "

    What? Fuck off!!

  • alcides #61 2 years ago

    @jpar123 "I've seen a lot of 'forum' logic around which makes little sense, but saying EA is ripping people off when they say 'Please pay us to use our servers' has to be up there as the most illogical reasoning I have ever seen."

    First, stop dissing forum logic as some particular kind of logic, there's all kinds in this forum. Good, bad, funny, ironic.
    Second, I think EA actually insisted on running their own servers instead of using the XBL and PSN ones. Fat luck.
    Third, a copy of the game purchased ONCE means those costs have been covered already.
    Fourth, mixing up second-hand and piracy as an issue regarding server clotting and abuse is. just. stellar.

    THAT's some "forum" logic now. The stupid evil bastard kind.

    edit: I thought usefull to specify my 3rd point : it means that regardless of who is playing the game online, the costs have been covered since it's still the same copy and therefore it means nothing in terms of an unfait or clotting mass of gamers joining online play. It's legit, it's fair, there's nothing wrong to it.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/10 @ 16:17

  • Feanor #62 2 years ago

    "Not to mention that by doing this EA lose custom because people are unable to trade in."

    EA know they will gain custom overall by preventing cheapskates pouring pure profit down Gamestop's throat.

  • zubnut #63 2 years ago

    I think it's been touched on a few times, but hey Pete, if u don't like paying to run a multiplayer server for the cheapskate bastards (your words, probably) who buy 2nd hand, then let Microsoft and Sony have control back and stop being such a monkey bollock.

    Or, just have the balls to come out and say it plain and simple "we are a company that want to make shitloads more money so we can buy up all the other development teams who threaten our future sales targets".

  • SilverInfinity #64 2 years ago

    Next we'll have to put up with in-game adverts on loading screens for other endorsed products. I can see it now:

    "Mass Effect 3 is sponsored by Coca-Cola...rotting your teeth and ruling the universe" :D

  • Praetorianer #65 2 years ago

    @SilverInfinity

    No, as Coca-Cola has been promoting and supporting an active and healthy lifestyle for over 100 years.

  • Sunyavadin #66 2 years ago

    Lol, really it's the WORST possible choice of games to implement it on if they are really so concerned about the second hand market.

    All the games stores I know of have an entire WALL of second hand EA Sports titles. Average trade-in price for one is about 50p
    Hell, I was in gamestation a few months ago and there was one they were refusing to take from a guy because they had too many copies and hadn't sold a single one.