Escapist News Now: EA Says No More Online Passes

[Revolutionary]

Why do I get the feeling EA has managed to come up with something even worse to replace online passes.

 

[12th_milkshake]

you'll still be required to sign up to origin to access most games which is what?

 

[Kenji_03]

"Too little, too late". I bought every copy of Maxis's franchises from Sim Ant to Sim City 4. I wouldn't touch the new Sim City if it was given to me for free because it's by EA BECAUSE IT'S ("EA: Ruins Everything").

 

[Olas]

The EA machine has finally calculated that maximizing profits will require doing something to please fans, aren't we fortunate.

 

[Mastemat]

lol just reading through the posts before me.... there is so much bitterness about EA!
Not that is isn't COMPLETELY DESERVED... but it's just funny to me to see how widespread it is.
Myself included.

It makes me a little happier to see this dying... what with the change in leadership they just had... it might mean that better things will come from him.

Or it is the harbinger of worse things to come... like the aforementioned always-on "service"...
500x bitten and all that...

 

[dubious_wolf]

'Bout fuckin time.

 

[Valkrex]

About time, but its too little too late. You put this shit in place for over 3 years, then only get rid of it at the end of the console generation?

That TOTALLY doesn't hint at something just as bad, if not worse, being put in place by EA to keep gouging everyone.

 

[Jacco]

I didn't like online passes so I am glad it's gone now. For the people complaining about micro transactions, I think you are just being silly. EA deserves to make money. As long as the MT's don't debilitate the game if you choose not to partake, then I don't see one atom of a problem.

 

[CWestfall]

So if they get rid of Always on DRM too then EA might not look the devil anymore

The funny thing is i bet the majority of people are waiting for the caveat to this news. As in we are so cynical now, we cant expect EA to do something good without it being twisted into something bad XD

I didn't have to wait for a caveat. As others have pointed out in this thread, EA pre-emptively followed the good with the bad with the following:
- Pervasive DLC in places where it is not appropriate
- Far too much DLC in general (Also microtransactions)
- Systematic homogenization of gameplay
- Sundry shady business practices (Idiotic acquisitions, ballooning development budgets, etc.)

It is also worth nothing that the announcement said very little about other aspects of Project Ten Dollar aside from online passes, so there is a reasonable chance they will continue using other forms of on-disc DLC to discourage buying used.

And of course this announcement does very little for PC gamers. If you intend to play an EA game on your PC, then on top of the aforementioned issues you get to look forward to:
- Origin's psychotic EULA agreement
- Being charged full retail price for a digitally distributed title
- Always-online DRM

So basically what I am saying is, I won't be stopping my full boycott of EA titles (17 months and counting) any time soon.

 

[darksakul]

I agree No more Online Passes is a turn in the right direction, but it is too little too late for EA.
Things such as the always online DRM, maximum number of installs for retail items (5 for C&C Red Alert 3), downloads being the same price as Retail, Origin's draconian Policies, Oh being labeled as the worst company two years running by Consumer Reports and Forbes, a Shitty CEO do does not get the industry he even works in, As his last job was running MS Fields (as in Ms Fields cookies).

They ruin perfectly good gaming studios such as Maxis, Westwood, DreamWorks Interactive, Origin Systems and Kingsoft GmbH.

They Monopolize NFL games, cheat College players in NCAA titles (by using the players likeness without permission and getting the NCAA to enforce a backwards policy if the student tries to sue he is expelled from school)

I Hope EA burns to the ground.

 

[MorganL4]

I really don't think that the "worst company in america" title lead to the end of online passes.

I miss the LRR crew's news show. This is a pretty weak and cheap substitute. It reeks of spike TV influenced production.

The ENN (LLR news show) wasn't actual news, the episodes were satirizations of news.

But for my two cents on the issue, I didn't have a problem with the online pass model. It made sure that the devs actually got some money if the game was bought used, AND it helps keep servers up and running.

 

[jklinders]

Why do I get the feeling EA has managed to come up with something even worse to replace online passes.

That's what I'm wondering. Traditionally big publishers don't stuff like this without having something even more stupid to replace it.