EA to close over a dozen game servers, including Online Pass games

Electronic Arts has announced that it will shut down online servers for over a dozen of its games over the next few weeks, including titles which feature the company's Online Pass initiative. This is the first time EA has closed servers for a title that features the Online Pass premium content service. Introduced in 2010, the service for EA Sports titles lets users enter a code for "premium" features and content. The idea is that those who purchase an EA Sports title second-hand need to pay $10 to purchase the Pass for the same content. A number of the servers being closed down next month are for games which feature the Online Pass service, including fighting game EA Sports MMA for Xbox 360 and PS3. Online servers are also being shut down for the likes of Burnout Revenge, The Godfather II and The Saboteur. EA's policy is to turn off servers for the online portions of games that make up less than 1 percent of all peak online activity across all EA games. The company is also closing down the servers for its casual sandbox game EA Create, released at the end of 2010 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The full list of servers set to be closed can be found at the EA website.