Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Malevolence

EA: New Online Gaming Content Codes Could Expire Before Even Being Used

Recommended Posts

EA: New Online Gaming Content Codes Could Expire Before Even Being Used

If you're buying an Electronic Arts game, be prepared for the Online Pass that came with it to have already expired. This was the recent experience of a NeoGAF member who bought a brand new copy of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit from Amazon, only to find that he got an error message saying that the code was either incorrect or no longer valid. Gaming website Joystick picked up on this and asked an EA advisor about this situation. It turns out that it's EA's corporate policy to have some of these codes expire, but that no one should be faced with this, as a rule. However, if they are, then they can get a new one for free, by either downloading it or getting it from EA directly. Checking the EULA shows that at the moment, there is only game with this restriction. It's only Dragon Age 2 (packaged) which has a time-limited an Online Pass code and that it expires on March 31, 2012:

 

eapass04122011.jpg

 

ONLINE PASS SERIAL CODE EXPIRES MARCH 31, 2012. EA ACCOUNT, REGISTRATION WITH ENCLOSED SINGLE-USE SERIAL CODES, INTERNET CONNECTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT REQUIRED TO PLAY AND TO ACCESS BONUS CONTENT (IF ANY) AND ONLINE FEATURES AND/OR SERVICES. SERIAL CODES ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE ONCE USED. EA ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE CAN BE FOUND AT EA.COM. YOU MUST BE 13+ TO ACTIVATE SOFTWAREAND REGISTER FOR AN EA ACCOUNT. EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON EA.COM/2/SERVICE-UPDATES.

Note that it doesn't say anything about a replacement code at all. Only by contacting EA does the customer have any idea what to do about this, which can be very frustrating.

 

The advisor didn't explain why these codes are designed to expire and it's hard to see exactly why. However, maybe it's to increase security of the product somehow, perhaps in a similar way that passwords at workplaces usually expire after a certain amount of time? Regardless, it's another inconvenient hoop that the honest gamer who's shelled out their hard-earned money has to jump through. In particular, one can see how these games that find themselves in the bargain basement a year later will all have expired codes, which will only be renewed at EAs discretion. Imagine the disappointment and frustration for the customer to see the online features being proudly advertised on the box, only to be denied at the point of installing the game. Then, it will be even more annoying should they contact EA about this only to be told that this feature has been removed. A feature like this could make or break a sale, so allowing such a situation potentially opens up EA to lawsuits for false advertising, since they are selling games that have had features removed by stealth. At the very least, such a customer would be entitled to a refund, which the shop would then be unlikely to give, because the box has been opened...

 

http://www.techpower...Being-Used.html

Edited by Sonic
No giant fonts in your posts please

Share this post


Link to post

Its all a gentle push to going full digital, its not very nice, but then the business world rarely is.

 

That and EA really wants to kill the used games market. :P

Share this post


Link to post

There's one bright side - digital downloading saves the environment ^_^

Share this post


Link to post

Another reason why I only buy Steam games. Steam is ****ing awesome.

Share this post


Link to post

digital downloading saves the environment

So does mass murder.

Share this post


Link to post

You still have litres of blood to clean. Digital downloading (and piracy) deny the expenses of printing new CDs/DVDs, so if the application becomes unusable, you won't make your nearby trash dump bigger, as it will all begin and end digitally ^_^

 

But yeah, solid releases rock.

Share this post


Link to post

Nay, dead people make good fertilizer. This means mass killing is not merely environment-neutral as digital downloads are, but environment-beneficial.

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×