Rumor: Mortal Kombat 9 will be featuring a $10 "Online Pass" System

[Durxom]

Apparently there is a rumor going around, that the upcoming Mortal Kombat game(being released April 19th) will be featuring a new "Online Pass" system, that Warner Bros. will be using in all of their newer games.

The Online Pass system for Mortal Kombat 9 is basically, people who have already got the game new get a free passcode already for the game, and will use it to gain access to the game's online features. However, for people who buy the game used, they will have to buy a new online passcode for either $9.99 on PSN, or 800 MS Points on Xbox 360.

Mortal Kombat 9 is apparently going to be the testing ground for this new system and the same system will pop up in some of Warner's other games popping up soon, such as Batman: Arkham City.

Article: Mortal Kombat 9 to feature Warner's new Online Pass system

So ya...anyone have any opinions on the matter?

 

[firstxaidxkit]

Makes sense, companies will be making money off their used games. I'm not too upset about it, I buy anticipated games new anyway.

Also, Arkham City will NOT have multiplayer. So that's not an issue.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

Well it seems like WB is taking to heart that GameStop is screwing them over, but then again they (WB Games) are attacking US the CONSUMERS for trying to buy a game used.
I say they make the game cheaper to not make the $10 price pass such a kick in the balls...
Although if you think about it, when you buy used a couple months down the line the game has usually dropped $10 in price so you're essentially buying the game new, plus games are expensive to make; I can't really blame them for doing this to get the money they NEED to make more games.

UGH, this is a sticky topic. Please quote me if you'd like to argue your point.

 

[Kingsnake661]

Apparently there is a rumor going around, that the upcoming Mortal Kombat game(being released April 19th) will be featuring a new "Online Pass" system, that Warner Bros. will be using in all of their newer games.

The Online Pass system for Mortal Kombat 9 is basically, people who have already got the game new get a free passcode already for the game, and will use it to gain access to the game's online features. However, for people who buy the game used, they will have to buy a new online passcode for either $9.99 on PSN, or 800 MS Points on Xbox 360.

Mortal Kombat 9 is apparently going to be the testing ground for this new system and the same system will pop up in some of Warner's other games popping up soon, such as Batman: Arkham City.

Article: Mortal Kombat 9 to feature Warner's new Online Pass system

So ya...anyone have any opinions on the matter?

Game publishers are getting kind of shafted by used game sales. It's just a reality of the situation. There's next to NOTHING they can do about it, as in, they can't force gamestop to give them a cut, so the only real way to recoup is to do crap like this with DLC or, it seems, online passes. *shrug* Game publishers need money to keep making games... it's a nessessiry evil. I tend to buy new, and now a days i tend to buy online if at all possible to buypass gamestop and such as much as possible... *shrug*

 

[Durxom]

Also, Arkham City will NOT have multiplayer. So that's not an issue.

It is on the list of games rumored to feature the system though, so maybe it prevent people from buying the DLC unless they have a new copy or something. Who knows, but it still is on the list though.

 

[PixelKing]

Also, Arkham City will NOT have multiplayer. So that's not an issue.

It is on the list of games rumored to feature the system though, so maybe it prevent people from buying the DLC unless they have a new copy or something. Who knows, but it still is on the list though.

That is what happens. No OP no DLC.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Well it seems like WB is taking to heart that GameStop is screwing them over, but then again they're killing US the CONSUMERS for trying to buy a game used.

That is unless gamestop sets the used price at $10 less than they normally would.
...
sorry... can't... stop... laughing.

That's the problem that I have with all these schemes the publishers come up with: they're always geared towards screwing the consumer rather than the retail chain thats screwing over the publishers and gamers. Then again, the average game consumer is probably used to getting screwed and overcharged at this point.

What I love about this is that I was never intending to play this game online: I have to play MK with other friends on my couch. So while I was planning on buying it new to begin with, I now feel that I should buy it used just to make a statement.

It's like they're all conspiring to get me to hate gaming. The sad thing is, it's starting to work.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

Well it seems like WB is taking to heart that GameStop is screwing them over, but then again they're killing US the CONSUMERS for trying to buy a game used.

That is unless gamestop sets the used price at $10 less than they normally would.
...
sorry... can't... stop... laughing.

You misread that statement. WB Games is attacking US the CONSUMERS for buying a game used. GameStop makes games cheaper, but hurts the industry with their used games sales.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Perhaps they should make the block move included-with-a-purchase DLC. That would be a way to recover from Gamestop

 

[Silent Biohazard Solid]

EA and THQ started it. I bet until that dickhole (didn't care enough to remember his name) at THQ said something about how used games are the equivalent to Piracy, no other game company even thought about it. Since it was always profitable.

Like I keep saying, if a game is used on sale, that means the original owner did not WANT it anymore. So why shouldn't someone else get it then? I can give away my games to my friends, and they have every right to own what I already paid for.

That's the worst thing about the whole used games idea. These companies aren't upset that they're losing money because people are buying used. They're upset because someone is making a profit and it isn't them.

I don't really care for online play anyway. If I have to pay $10 to play MK online, screw that, I'll just... you know... Go over to my firend's place, and do some REAL socializing while I play it. Online gaming sucks anyway. Keeps people in their homes too much.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

Good. Fuck GameStop.

This only affects people who rent games (what is this, 1998?) and people who buy Used. I don't care about either of those groups of people. This will not affect me in the least, and hopefully it will negatively affect GameStop.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Well it seems like WB is taking to heart that GameStop is screwing them over, but then again they're killing US the CONSUMERS for trying to buy a game used.

That is unless gamestop sets the used price at $10 less than they normally would.
...
sorry... can't... stop... laughing.

You misread that statement. WB Games is attacking US the CONSUMERS for buying a game used. GameStop makes games cheaper, but hurts the industry with their used games sales.

I know they're attacking us, just like every other publisher.
I however don't agree that gamestop makes games cheaper. Actually their gouging of the used game market had made gaming more expensive for everybody now.

I also wouldn't assume that (even with the $10 online pass BS) gamestop will be selling used copies of MK for anything less than $57.99.
There are far too many suckers out there who will pay that price, then pay for the $10 pass.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Okay, I need to get this off of my chest: Gamestop is not screwing over the industry. They screw over the consumer by overcharging for stuff, but that's because they have no real competition in the used games marketplace, which allows them to charge whatever they want. The right to buy and sell used products is a legally protected consumer right, and what these companies are doing when they try to take on Gamestop is attacking the customers, not Gamestop. I have never seen a group of consumers more willing to bend over and take it from an industry than gamers. Think about the uproar that would occur if the major publishers found some way to make people pay them for used books bought at independent bookstores. It wouldn't fly. So why do gamers stick up for these industry bigwigs who are no more their friends than oil barons are the friends of drivers?

 

[Aris Khandr]

That's the problem that I have with all these schemes the publishers come up with: they're always geared towards screwing the consumer rather than the retail chain thats screwing over the publishers and gamers.

There aren't many ways to really do anything to Gamestop. The best bet is to make customers feel that the used copy isn't a good deal so they'll buy new.

 

[GonzoGamer]

That's the problem that I have with all these schemes the publishers come up with: they're always geared towards screwing the consumer rather than the retail chain thats screwing over the publishers and gamers.

There aren't many ways to really do anything to Gamestop. The best bet is to make customers feel that the used copy isn't a good deal so they'll buy new.

There are a ton of things they could do.
The best bet is to make games that are actually worth $60. That would help.
Then the publishers could offer better trade in programs then gamestop; that's really not hard.
Then they could stop catering to retailers like gamestop: give them the leftover 'bonus' pre-order items rather than the best ones. They might lose a little money on the bidding but they would make a lot more in the long run.

So three ideas that would work off the top of my head. I'm sure the corporate relations person there could come up with better after thinking about it for 5 mins. I would hope so at least.

 

[FrossetMareritt]

Wait, how are the game makers getting shafted? New Game Buyer sells his game to a store where Used Game Buyer buys the very same disc. So UGB still has to use the same disc NGB sold. Nowhere in there is WB worried about piracy in that NGB made a copy and sold the original, because it doesn't sound as though they are. Further more, if no NGB ever sells their copy (because I'm one that refuses to), and thus there are no UGB: Where is WB justification for this?

Personally I think this is a stupid idea, players are getting punished for not buying new because companies like this are mad (in their inane thinking) that retailers are 'stealing' money from them. Now I for one am a guy that likes to buy new, I hate the idea that someone else got their grubby little fingers all over my case, my disc and (worst of all) my manual; but I will buy used if I have to.

If the game is good then that's the game maker's fault and they're making money hand-over-fist; if the game is bad then that's the game maker's fault and they lost or made very little money and this is where I think companies are trying to pawn off the lost RoI back to the player.

Anywho, I was in the groove when I first started typing this but I kept getting pulled away from my computer for different things, so I'm just going to sum up the last of my points that I haven't said yet.

Punishing both the player and retailers for buying and selling used games would just cause the game maker's to cut their own throat. Economics is a Chinese Finger Trap: The more you try and pulling out of it (from consumers wallets) the more you will lose out.

Game makers need companies like GameStop. Besides a couple companies like EA, first-party sales are almost non-existent. So to try and punish the retailers (which is this is partially about) then they will find that sales will start to dry up a bit. Besides, the US consumer is still trying to make ends meet in this bad market, so this is the worst time to try and pull off something like this.

But all that is just my two cents.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Even making the game "worth $60" (an arbitrary quantifier if ever there was one), you're still asking people to choose between spending $60 and $55 on the same product. Most people are going to choose to spend less unless there is a good reason not to, no matter what the product is "worth".

And the pre-order system with Gamestop actually benefits the publisher, as you can only pre-order a new game. So anyone who pre-orders isn't buying used. A game from anywhere can be traded in, so if they *have* to go to Gamestop, better to pre-order than buy used.

 

[Adultism]

I agree with some of the topics here, It makes sense that the company wants to make money off of used games, After all gamestop makes all their money on used games. That doesn't mean I'm happy with it. I always buy used.

 

[JSDodd]

Didn't they do this with Bulletstorm already?

 

[firstxaidxkit]

Also, Arkham City will NOT have multiplayer. So that's not an issue.

It is on the list of games rumored to feature the system though, so maybe it prevent people from buying the DLC unless they have a new copy or something. Who knows, but it still is on the list though.

No it's not.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/14/batman-arkham-city-will-only-be-a-single-player-experience.aspx