EA will now charge used-game buyers $10 to unlock online mode

[TheCount]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/11/ea-sports-to-charge-used-game-buyers-10-to-unlock-basic-online/

Basically, the original purchaser is bestowed online functionality, added features, and bonus content, out of the kindness of EA's heart (and a fun-to-enter redeem code), while a used buyer will get a 7 day trial of those things, and then have to pony up $10 if they want to keep at it.

For those that play Madden, this might be worth noting.

I was already pissed that the last game they took out all the training mini-games that boosted player stats and replaced it with purchasable upgrades. This is just a little ridiculous.

[Duane]

I don't play those games online so it doesn't hurt my wallet. That being said EA is evil. I wish nothing but bad things for their company since they've turned into a huge monopoly.

[HoleInTheRoof]

I gave up on Madden after 2005.

I'd either play on rookie and win by 40, or play on the next level (Pro?) and lose by 10.

Even adjusting the sliding scales, I could never get to a point where the games were genuinly interesting. That, and the feature I enjoyed the most, the draft, was terrible. Teams would take QB's in the first round two years in a row, no attention given to needs, no depth at certain positions (i.e. no DE's available after the 4th round, ect).

Shame too, because I used to love that game.

[Sam I Am]

With consoles being Internet ready, they should just ditch disks all together and make it like Netflix / iTunes. You download what you want to play. If you run out of space, delete a game you no longer play off your system. If later you want to play it again, queue it for re-downloading.

[Dallas]

EA is absolutely terrible. They don't even put out a good product anymore because they are all OVER the map when it comes to games.


Used to be a solid company but now they are just out for every penny then can get from you.

I never purchase EA products anymore

[Ren]

I'll go against the grain here and say smart move, when stores sell 2nd hand games EA makes no money at all. 2nd hand game sales have actually become a huge problem for publishers as just as many games are sold 2nd hand as brand new, production costs are going up and and profits dropping due to rentals and 2nd hand sales. EA found a way to make money of 2nd hand sales kudos to them

They've been doing this for a while now every EA game the last year or so had this system to some degree, you get content free with new copies but have to pay if you buy used.

personally i don't see anything wrong with wanting to get payed for your work

[Yeagermeister]

I have never played games online but my wife keeps telling me to try Left 4 Dead online. So if anyone plays either version let me know.

[Ren]

I have never played games online but my wife keeps telling me to try Left 4 Dead online. So if anyone plays either version let me know.


L4D is good fun, with friends, not so much with random people

[TheCount]

With consoles being Internet ready, they should just ditch disks all together and make it like Netflix / iTunes. You download what you want to play. If you run out of space, delete a game you no longer play off your system. If later you want to play it again, queue it for re-downloading.

That's the last thing I want.

Sony or any other company in control of where, when and how I play games I've paid for.

Maybe if there was some kind of discount if you downloaded, but there never will be.

I'll go against the grain here and say smart move, when stores sell 2nd hand games EA makes no money at all. 2nd hand game sales have actually become a huge problem for publishers as just as many games are sold 2nd hand as brand new, production costs are going up and and profits dropping due to rentals and 2nd hand sales. EA found a way to make money of 2nd hand sales kudos to them

They've been doing this for a while now every EA game the last year or so had this system to some degree, you get content free with new copies but have to pay if you buy used.

personally i don't see anything wrong with wanting to get payed for your work

That's silly. 2nd hand sales hurt publishers? I suppose if I give a book to a friend to read after I'm done, the book companies should be able to black out the last chapter unless the 2nd owner sends them an extra 5 bucks? Maybe if you sell your HDTV on craigslist, the 2nd owner should only be able to view things in non-HD unless they send Samsung an extra $200 bucks?

Not everyone has the right to get paid twice for one item sold, that's ridiculous.

[Yeagermeister]

L4D is good fun, with friends, not so much with random people

I get tired of playing with the computer characters. They jump in to your line of fire. It drives me crazy.

[Ren]

That's silly. 2nd hand sales hurt publishers? I suppose if I give a book to a friend to read after I'm done, the book companies should be able to black out the last chapter unless the 2nd owner sends them an extra 5 bucks? Maybe if you sell your HDTV on craigslist, the 2nd owner should only be able to view things in non-HD unless they send Samsung an extra $200 bucks?

Not everyone has the right to get paid twice for one item sold, that's ridiculous.


It's way more widespread and common to buy videogames 2nd hand then just about everything else. Stuff like ebay and craigslist where people sell and buy privately ain't the problem, it's stores like gamestop who make a fortune selling games 2nd hand. Used game sales is big business gamestop sells more games 2nd hand then new and when they are the biggest games retailers in the world it becomes a huge problem for publishers

[Sam I Am]

That's the last thing I want.

Sony or any other company in control of where, when and how I play games I've paid for.

Maybe if there was some kind of discount if you downloaded, but there never will be.



Umm, you do realize that is already what is happening? When you play Madden online, you're playing on Microsoft or Sony servers.

If you play locally on your own PS3/XBOX, you would play locally just like you normally do. The difference is, you wouldn't have a disk to install. Just like when you download software online. (Firefox, etc)

[TheCount]

It's way more widespread and common to buy videogames 2nd hand then just about everything else. Stuff like ebay and craigslist where people sell and buy privately ain't the problem, it's stores like gamestop who make a fortune selling games 2nd hand. Used game sales is big business gamestop sells more games 2nd hand then new and when they are the biggest games retailers in the world it becomes a huge problem for publishers

You think it's more common to buy video games second hand than books?

How is Gamestop a problem to publishers? All the games they sell 2nd hand have to be bought 1st hand first, they have been paid for.

Gamestop selling 100 games doesn't "hurt" publishers any more or less than 100 people selling 1 game each, just like Pawn Shops selling used Guitars doesn't hurt Gibson because they sell them for more than they pay for them.

[TheCount]

Umm, you do realize that is already what is happening? When you play Madden online, you're playing on Microsoft or Sony servers.

If you play locally on your own PS3/XBOX, you would play locally just like you normally do. The difference is, you wouldn't have a disk to install. Just like when you download software online. (Firefox, etc)

You were talking about ditching disks and selling games online only to be downloaded directly to the system is what it sounded like.

I don't think that has nothing to do with playing online vs locally.

I've been to places where electricity wasn't even reliable, much less the internet, where they play these systems.

I should be able to take a disc to a friends house, pop it in their system and play if I choose to. I should also be able to store a game into infinity and pop it out to play long after Microsoft stops supporting the Xbox 360 like they recently stopped supporting the original xbox.

[Sam I Am]

You were talking about ditching disks and selling games online only to be downloaded directly to the system is what it sounded like.

I don't think that has nothing to do with playing online vs locally.

I've been to places where electricity wasn't even reliable, much less the internet, where they play these systems.

I should be able to take a disc to a friends house, pop it in their system and play if I choose to. I should also be able to store a game into infinity and pop it out to play long after Microsoft stops supporting the Xbox 360 like they recently stopped supporting the original xbox.

Login with your account at your buddies house and download it. ;)

[Ren]

You think it's more common to buy video games second hand than books?

How is Gamestop a problem to publishers? All the games they sell 2nd hand have to be bought 1st hand first, they have been paid for.

Gamestop selling 100 games doesn't "hurt" publishers any more or less than 100 people selling 1 game each, just like Pawn Shops selling used Guitars doesn't hurt Gibson because they sell them for more than they pay for them.

Books don't cost 20+ million $ to make, once you sell a few 1000 copies of a book you're into profit already as a publisher, it's not like that with games. For your 50+ million $ game to make a profit you have to sell a lot more. When the biggest retailer of games is the biggest 2nd hand dealer of game it becomes a problem. if you write a book and it flops you're not going to be down 50+ million

Gamestop make more money of selling games 2nd hand then the people who make and publish them make of new sales. Gamestop have made 2nd hand game sales more common then brand new sales. You honestly can't see how this could be a problem publishers?

[TheCount]

Books don't cost 20+ million $ to make, once you sell a few 1000 copies of a book you're into profit already as a publisher, it's not like that with games. For your 50+ million $ game to make a profit you have to sell a lot more. When the biggest retailer of games is the biggest 2nd hand dealer of game it becomes a problem. if you write a book and it flops you're not going to be down 50+ million

Gamestop make more money of selling games 2nd hand then the people who make and publish them make of new sales. Gamestop have made 2nd hand game sales more common then brand new sales. You honestly can't see how this could be a problem publishers?

Books don't cost $60 a pop either.

The amount it costs to make something has no bearing on getting paid twice for it.

How much does a car cost to make? Should a 2nd hand owner be forced to drive a crippled car unless they fork over extra money to the automaker to unlock features of the car?

Arguing that used games are causing a problem for the video game industry is like arguing that used car lots cause a problem for auto makers.

[Ren]

Books don't cost $60 a pop either.

The amount it costs to make something has no bearing on getting paid twice for it.

How much does a car cost to make? Should a 2nd hand owner be forced to drive a crippled car unless they fork over extra money to the automaker to unlock features of the car?

Arguing that used games are causing a problem for the video game industry is like arguing that used car lots cause a problem for auto makers.


if you want all the features on a car you have to pay extra or they might give you a deal with extra features, if you buy it used you don't even get that option nor do you expect it to be the same quality as a brand new car. If something is missing from your used car do you blame the manufacturer or the person who sold it?

What EA is doing is saying if you buy the game from us you get these extras. If you don't buy the game from them why should they give them to you for free?

Believe what you want to believe about it not hurting the industry, i have friends who work for major publishers (not EA) who will all tell you ever since gamestop became the #1 retailer in games they've seen a noticeable drop in profits. Why do you think they push preorders so hard these days with bonus content for those who preorder

[ChldsPlay]

if you want all the features on a car you have to pay extra or they might give you a deal with extra features, if you buy it used you don't even get that option nor do you expect it to be the same quality as a brand new car. If something is missing from your used car do you blame the manufacturer or the person who sold it?

What EA is doing is saying if you buy the game from us you get these extras. If you don't buy the game from them why should they give them to you for free?

Believe what you want to believe about it not hurting the industry, i have friends who work for major publishers (not EA) who will all tell you ever since gamestop became the #1 retailer in games they've seen a noticeable drop in profits. Why do you think they push preorders so hard these days with bonus content for those who preorder


So die hard fans of some games who want everything will have to preorder/buy the same game from 5 or 6 different stores???

[TheCount]

if you want all the features on a car you have to pay extra or they might give you a deal with extra features, if you buy it used you don't even get that option nor do you expect it to be the same quality as a brand new car. If something is missing from your used car do you blame the manufacturer or the person who sold it?

What EA is doing is saying if you buy the game from us you get these extras. If you don't buy the game from them why should they give them to you for free?


This is the fundamental mistake you're making. They aren't giving anything away for free. It was already paid for. And it shouldn't matter where the game is purchased from, because no two people can use those features at the same time.

Software can not be "broken", so your car analogy doesn't work here.

[DemonBlood]

Sorry Count you're a little off base here. You should read into this problem a little more. Gamestop is very, very shady. The gaming community and game companies hate them. EA is only the first company to do this...Many will follow.

[Ren]

This is the fundamental mistake you're making. They aren't giving anything away for free. It was already paid for. And it shouldn't matter where the game is purchased from, because no two people can use those features at the same time.

Software can not be "broken", so your car analogy doesn't work here.

it's not, it's free bonus content for those who buy the game new

As long as it's a new sealed copy you get it for free with the game regardless of where you buy it

Software cannot be broken if you buy it digitally but of course if you do this it also cannot be resold. If you buy a physical copy then the medium where it's stored can be broken if that's the case with a 2nd hand game the publisher is not obligated to replace your game, it's between you and the seller. If the codes to unlock the bonus content is already used then that an issue between you and the seller as well.

[Kangaroo]

It is also something that can kill sales and turn of your customer base you have to be careful if you are not getting extra upgraded content then you could cost yourself in the long run. It has happen more than once in the Video Game industry.

Will see what happens but EA has gone to crap in a handbasket and their getting worse I seen that company destroy more Online MMORPG because the management is clueless. They have shutdown more MMORPG than I can remember. They have bought two previous good companies and that has gone to well lots of ****** in a basket. If EA went bellyup and disappeared from the fave of the earth I cheer and at would tome they use to have good quality products now I just avoid them when I can.

[TheCount]

it's not, it's free bonus content for those who buy the game new

As long as it's a new sealed copy you get it for free with the game regardless of where you buy it

Software cannot be broken if you buy it digitally but of course if you do this it also cannot be resold. If you buy a physical copy then the medium where it's stored can be broken if that's the case with a 2nd hand game the publisher is not obligated to replace your game, it's between you and the seller. If the codes to unlock the bonus content is already used then that an issue between you and the seller as well.

Online play is not "free bonus content".

I think that's where you're missing the point. We're not talking about special attacks or a free alternate outfit for Ryu. I'm not sure what a physically damaged disc has to do with any of this. The software itself can never be broken, a damaged disc is not broken software.

Sorry Count you're a little off base here. You should read into this problem a little more. Gamestop is very, very shady. The gaming community and game companies hate them. EA is only the first company to do this...Many will follow.

That'd be fine and dandy if it only effected Gamestop. I'm not defending Gamestop, I don't shop there. I'm defending the right of an individual to do what they please with a game they already paid for.

[Hoofbite]

Glad I don't play any EA games.

They can suck my sack.

****ing criminals.

[BraveHeartFan]

I gave up on Madden after 2005.

I'd either play on rookie and win by 40, or play on the next level (Pro?) and lose by 10.

Even adjusting the sliding scales, I could never get to a point where the games were genuinly interesting. That, and the feature I enjoyed the most, the draft, was terrible. Teams would take QB's in the first round two years in a row, no attention given to needs, no depth at certain positions (i.e. no DE's available after the 4th round, ect).

Shame too, because I used to love that game.

No offense but you just flat sucked at Madden then. :P

On rookie you only won by 40? On rookie you should be putting up a 100+ point win on folks unless you're playing 1 minute quarters.

On pro you should be winning, at the very least, by 50 points. Pro isn't much more than rookie, in all honesty.

You should have tried All-Pro, at the very least, and tweaked the settings until you found the happy area you wanted.

I completely feel your pain about the draft though. That kind of stuff would annoy the crap out of me as well because the computer always seemed to draft so stupid for other teams.

I also hated how teams will go into seasons with like 3 DEs, total. two on the left and one on the right and then their depth charts would just be putting whoever, wherever, to be the backup.

Stupid.