In just a few weeks, Electronic Arts and DICE will at long last release Battlefield 3. The multiplayer is a pretty big deal for that game, as most of you are probably aware. That can only mean one thing: Online Pass time.
DICE’s Alan Kertz, the core gameplay designer on Battlefield 3, confirmed the minor detail earlier this week on Twitter. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, what with EA already having said that its future releases will all have their multiplayer locked down behind a redemption code included with all new copies of the game.
The idea behind initiatives such as this one is to stem some of the losses that publishers feel from the used games market. If someone purchases a used copy of a game, they’re forced to spend a little bit extra, typically around $10, to unlock access to the game’s multiplayer. It’s money that goes directly to the publisher, offsetting the loss that is incurred every time a used game is sold rather than a new copy.
