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News EA Sports to charge for multiplayer

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 11 May 2010.

  1. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  2. Unknownsock

    Unknownsock What's a Dremel?

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    I can see several stores going bankrupt in the UK if this gets any worse.
     
  3. Glix

    Glix Left Thumb Stick in the mud.

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    And there we have it, 2nd hand Console games killed off just like the 2nd hand PC games market.
     
  4. GiantStickMan

    GiantStickMan What's a Dremel?

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    I get that the second hand market is cutting into their profit margins, but stating that this measure is part of an anti-piracy scheme is basically saying that anyone who buys a second hand game is pirating in their eyes. At least that's how it reads to me.
     
  5. yakyb

    yakyb i hate the person above me

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    I think this is a good thing the reason i don't buy second hand is that i know someone will have registered the key to their email at some point therefore restricting multiplayer.
     
  6. msm722

    msm722 What's a Dremel?

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    So now people can pirate the game and pay $10 to get full online access? Doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Most people who want the online access will buy the full game, but now they don't have to.
     
  7. NuTech

    NuTech Minimodder

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    After the 'success' of Project Ten Dollar, I suppose this is the logical next step. At least they've seen the sense to tie your online key to your Gamertag and not your console.

    Also:
    Wrong.
    No.

    You can't play pirated Xbox games online (even trying to connect to Live perma-bans your console) and the PS3 doesn't have pirated games. With regards to PC games, I assume this scheme doesn't relate as there isn't a second-hand market due to cd-keys.

    I have no idea why Joe states in the article this is "...the publisher's new anti-piracy system". It's quite obvious this (and Project Ten Dollar) is all about destroying the pre-owned and rental market, nothing else. You can't play multi-player with most pirated games anyway and no amount of free DLC will change the mind of a potential pirate (especially when they can also pirate said DLC).

    EDIT: Judging by the replies below mine, it looks like the article is spawning a lot of mis-information.
     
    Last edited: 11 May 2010
  8. Matticus

    Matticus ...

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    Yeah it seems like there has to be more to it than this. It seems like there would be no point buying, just pirate and pay a measly $10.

    Would this "online pass" be valid only for that specific CD key(I assume console versions have some sort of unique ID) of that game, or just all versions of that game. So could you buy Tiger woods new, register your "online pass", then sell it and at a later date buy it used (or pirate it) and still be able to play it?

    Edit: Didn't really think about pirated games on consoles, edited to reflect this. But I know a few people who have been using pirated 360 games for well over a year and have not been banned.
     
  9. smc8788

    smc8788 Multimodder

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    The article says it will block pirates. So now, providing it works, pirates will have to pay $10 instead of nothing. But the main thing they want to do is to increase revenue from second-hand sales on the console market, where the second-hand market is much larger. Besides, saying that people who would normally buy the game will now just pirate it instead is ridiculous.

    I don't really have a problem with this as long as they don't start charging monthly fees or additional costs with new games, but that's because I buy most of my games new anyway. If anything all I can see it doing is reducing the second-hand games market because there is less of a financial incentive to buy a used game over a new one.
     
  10. MaverickWill

    MaverickWill Dirty CPC Mackem

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    The way I'm looking at it, it'll drive down the cost of the second-hand market. Which means I can pick up second-hand games for a few quid less than they are now, and just play them with my friends, on my console. Online multiplayer's not a massive deal if I've got 4 controllers and buddies with beer. :D
     
  11. ripmax

    ripmax Minimodder

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    To be fair, most stores charge too much for used games. This should make them reduce their prices.
     
  12. javaman

    javaman May irritate Eyes

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    Not as bad as i thought tbh but still EA being greedy. Least all their sports games can be played with four people in the same room (only time i actually play their games) begging the question, Who actually gives a smeg?
     
  13. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

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    Smart business move by EA I think, not sure how it will hurt the retailers though. Depends how many people buy games specifically to play online, let's face it, it's pretty hard to find a reasonably priced copy of online-centric games like MW2/BFBC2 right now. Quality games like these don't get traded in as much, and often resell for close to the price of new.
     
  14. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

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    Just noticed this is the sports games only. Not a major deal then!
     
  15. theflatworm

    theflatworm Gordon Freeman's Crowbar

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    I'm really not sure that attempting to make the games market more disposable is an ethical strategy in this day and age. More waste for landfill, anyone?
     
  16. gavomatic57

    gavomatic57 Minimodder

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    If it drives down the cost of 2nd hand games, it could be a good thing for me - I rarely play multiplayer anyway - my connection speed is way too slow before 1am to even try.
     
  17. mastorofpuppetz

    mastorofpuppetz What's a Dremel?

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    second hand games are outrageously priced as it is, Ebgames charges near the same as the new ones, and people buy them all the time, makes no sense.
     
  18. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    I think it will affect all ea games eventually

    the cost to get online kinda kills the Market for second hand games.
     
  19. UrbanMarine

    UrbanMarine Government Prostitute

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    What about rentals? I use gamefly to rent games before I buy them.
     
  20. Krazeh

    Krazeh Minimodder

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    You can play pirated xbox360 games online perfectly well, there's nothing that currently stops you playing multiplayer and connecting to Live doesn't perma-ban your console. What does perma-ban your console is MS detecting you've modified your dvd drives firmware and then including you in one of their ban waves. But that requires that they first detect the change to your firmware and even then you're still free to use Live until they actually get round to conducting a ban wave.
     
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