Three years on, EA decides Online Pass isn't really its thing

Newsbrief: Electronic Arts is discontinuing its Online Pass program, according to VentureBeat. "We've listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward," says EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg. "None of our new EA titles will include that feature." First introduced in 2010 as a counter-piracy measure and means by which to draw revenue from used game sales, EA's Online Passes were required for online features on a number of the publisher's titles, including multiplayer. Several major publishers including Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft have introduced similar systems to their games, many of which remain in place. While EA claims it has done away with Online Passes in part based on player feedback, it is likely also the result of larger-scale market realities -- such as the oncoming console transition and EA's recent end-year fiscal statements noting consumers' trend toward digital sales.