EA Kills Online Pass

[splff3000]

Note: This is the Online Pass, not the Season Pass

http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/15/ea...xfwC1h8B0KH.02

Quote:

EA is doing away with its Online Pass program from this point forward, a decision the video game publisher says is partially based on player response. “Yes, we’re discontinuing Online Pass,” EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg confirmed to GamesBeat in an e-mail. “None of our new EA titles will include that feature.” The modern military first-person shooter Battlefield 3 and a number of other EA games such as Madden NFL use Online Pass. You need it in order to play many of a game’s online features, including multiplayer. A code activates the Pass, which has a one-time use. You need a new code (which the publisher offers, of course, for a fee) if you’re playing the game on another console or if you bought the software used and the original owner redeemed the original. But players never embraced this 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 said. “We’ve listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”

This is a pretty big shift in company philosophy. Maybe the new CEO is trying to change EA's image so they don't "win" worst company of the year again. This is a good first move to do that.

[roadman]

They have a new CEO?

Ugh, there we go again with worst company in the US. Only on the net.

[splff3000]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

They have a new CEO? Ugh, there we go again with worst company in the US. Only on the net.

Yes, they do.

http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/18/ea-...tive-chairman/

Yeah, as for the worst company thing, I voted for Wells Fargo lol. That was based on personal experiences. Still, you can't be messing with people's foosball and thinking you're gonna get away with it lol.

[Skyboxer]

Good for them if true as to why they did it.
Not trying to be that guy but there has to be more to it than "We listened to the feedback"...
There's other things in the mix if I was be a betting man..

Maybe there isn't a reason... guess we'll find out soon enough.

[CM Hooe]

Well. This is unexpected.

I wouldn't be surprised if the sole motivation for this was to get microtransaction-based modes such as Ultimate Team in the hands of more people.

[californ14]

I thought I read something about the next-gen systems being set to attach new software to the system, thus eliminating the ability of places like Gamestop to sell and purchase used games?

If this is the case, wouldn't next-gen be eliminating the need for the online pass? Maybe making this decision and announcement sort of moot?

[Cubfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skyboxer

Good for them if true as to why they did it. Not trying to be that guy but there has to be more to it than "We listened to the feedback"... There's other things in the mix if I was be a betting man.. Maybe there isn't a reason... guess we'll find out soon enough.

Yeah my first thought is what are they replacing it with.

[splff3000]

Quote: Originally Posted by Skyboxer

Good for them if true as to why they did it. Not trying to be that guy but there has to be more to it than "We listened to the feedback"... There's other things in the mix if I was be a betting man.. Maybe there isn't a reason... guess we'll find out soon enough.

I would assume, and this is just my opinion, that "winning" worst company in America (TWICE) in any fashion, on any site, is bad publicity for the company. I know some say that the results from a poll on consumerist.com is meaningless, but I saw those results on Yahoo, MSN, and numerous other mainstream sites on the web so the poll might have been meaningless, but the effects of the results are most certainly not. I'm assuming this is EA trying to do right by the consumers .......... for a change.