Goodbye Online Passes!!!

HERE WE GO GUYS, FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS IN THE GAMING WORLD!

Online Passes – the controversial attempt by many publishers to
encourage new game sales by locking online-centric content for used
copies – has become engrained in gaming culture over the last several
years. But according to a report on VentureBeat, one major company is doing away with them.

Electronic Arts – the mega-publisher behind a litany of games
including Madden, FIFA, Battlefield, Dead Space, Mass Effect and more –
will be “discontinuing” its Online Pass initiative. In a statement
provided to VentureBeat, EA’s John Reseburg said that “none of our new
EA titles will include that feature.”

Reseburg admitted that Online Passes just don’t seem to be working.
“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online
content and services, many players didn’t respond to the format. We’ve
listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”

Many major publishers – including Sony and Ubisoft – continue to use
Online Passes, though interestingly, Microsoft never seemed to go down
that road. Will EA’s abolishment of this system coerce other publishers
to follow suit?

This makes me happy!

Yay! This is indeed good news!