Dragon Age 2: Online-Passes Can Actually Expire
Project 10 dollar? Do you remember it? Well, it was started by Electronic Arts. In effect, it started in which new games are required to unlock online multiplayer. Project 10 dollar was a way of preventing secondhand games from taking over. Now, Project 10 dollar has been taken to new heights. The whole setup is no longer just about you buying the game new; it is now about buying the game new within a period of time. If you don’t buy fast, the online code may expire before you can get at it.
This was a nasty disovery by one gamer and probably even more gamers that have not come forward yet. The gamer bought a year old Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit. The online access code with the game, which was still sealed when he bought it, was already expired. According to EA, codes do expire. However, it seems that there is also a rule that says, “no Online Pass should expire, but a few titles will have a time limit on their use, even for new purchases.” The purchasers can stil get new passes for free but will have to go through EA’s customer support.
Screenshot from Dragon Age 2 (Credit: EA)
Is the video game industry suporting this brand of greed? Publishers can make money with many other products, such as the DLCs that they keep on spewing out. “Dragon Age 2, for example, has an Online Pass that expires on march 31, 2012, according to EA’s EULA description.” Well, can you believe that? The title launches on March 8, 2012 in North America, March 10 in Australia and March 11 in Europe. This means that gamers have to buy the title in a matter of days from release.
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