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On May 10, 2010, it was announced that EA will no longer have their online capabilities of their game to be free unless you buy the game brand new. With brand new purchases, the game will come with a one-time use code card that allows you to access the online capabilities of a game. This means all of the online capabilities ranging from multiplayer, scoreboards, and even downloadable content. The first game to get this new feature will be Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 and then all EA Sport’s games after will receive this as well. Now if you buy the game used, you won’t be allowed to use the online capabilities since the code is no longer usable unless you pay $10 for a new code. Now for those who do Gamefly or rent video games, there is an option to download a seven day code so renting video games is still allowable. However, this new change is big news for gamers now in days because of the economy and because most game sales now are used games.
The biggest retailer when it comes to used game sales is easily Gamestop but even they are on board with the new codes going into used video game sales. They say it allows them to expand their market even more as well as giving the benefit back to the publisher and the developer of said used games. In all respects to EA, their press statement on why they are doing this is more of an ease than to what the primary basis could be. In the video gaming industry, the publisher and developer gets paid by how many games they do sell but those sales are only through new game sales no matter what the price may be. Used games are not in the quota for sales of a game for a company. So for example, if I were to buy a used game from EA, EA will not see any of that profit since it is not tracked as a sale to them but a sale to the used game seller. That is why whenever you step inside a Gamestop, whenever you buy a new game on shelf they try to find a used game on shelf for a “cheaper price” which really equates to “all the money going to them instead of splitting it with the publisher and/or developer”.
This is possibly why video game companies are now making it payable to use online capabilities on video games. What EA has started is now being utilized by other companies. Ubisoft is now trying to tackle used game sales by doing the same thing and just today (Thursday, May 20, 2010), it was annouced that THQ will start doing it as well beginning with their latest UFC title. And as time goes by, more and more companies may start to do the same thing. I am thinking Activision will eventually jump on for they like EA are huge money hogs when it comes to games thus why they milk the cash from series like the Hero Series, Call of Duty Series, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Series, and many others as well so it can be expected this will become a stable in the video gaming industry for the time being.
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