Sega eye up online pass
by GL News
EA caused a stir recently with their latest anti pre-owned/piracy measures by requiring an ‘online pass’ from gamers in order for them to play its new Xbox360 and PS3 games online and it seems that Sega, among others, are now watching with interest.
The pass takes the form of game-specific, one time only registration codes which allow gamers access to onlines services including multiplayer and any bonus content. Anyone picking up one of these titles second hand (or even a mate’s borrowed copy) will have to pay a fee to gain access to these online services, effectively hamstringing pre-owned sales.
While not going down too well with many gamers, others have been more understanding – indeed, it caused some debate on the GamingLives forum some time ago. However, many publishers have since been looking on to see if the new system works, likely with a view to implementing it themselves, including, according to Edge, Sony, Ubisoft, and Microsoft, and now, it would seem, Sega too.
Last five articles by GL News
- EA Announce The Sims 4: City Living Expansion
- PETA Crosses The Line with Farming Simulator 17
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Review
- Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments - Review
- ONE Ring
It’s a bit out of order, given that we pay a premium to play online already with XBL.
I don’t play online games enough to care really but I can see both sides of the coin. If pre-owned games (since when did “second hand” become “pre-owned” anyway??) are genuinely killing game development then it IS in the best interest of the gamer to support the industry even if they’re buying second hand games, as it’ll allow the industry to continue developing new IP and technologies. On the other hand… if you buy a second hand game, you should be able to play the game as it was released. You’re not buying the license, you’re buying a physical copy and, therefore, should be able to play it in the same way that the original buyer could. Tough call really.
[...] bods unhappy with the pre-owned threat to their bottom line, and publishers already introducing moves to combat pre-owned games, we can only expect the fight to get more ferocious. With EA’s ‘Online Pass’ [...]