Good news to those of us who own games, or who plan on owning games, made by EA that contain an online pass. EA is moving to phase out the online pass model completely. EA has stated "As we discontinue Online Pass for our new EA titles, we are also in the process of eliminating it from all our existing EA titles as well. We heard the feedback from players and decided to do away with Online Pass altogether."
Apparently, the first titles to get rid of the online pass will be EA sports titles. The prompt to enter the online pass code will no longer appear in-game. Other games will simply make the online pass free to download online for all. The changes to the online pass model will be implemented in a rolling fashion over the next few weeks. EA has posted a handy FAQ that answers most question about the elimination of the online pass from their games.
The decision to get rid of the online pass model was based upon "community feedback." Since it's inception, EA's online pass model has garnered harsh criticism from many places, most notably those who buy and sell used games. Besides the elimination of the online pass in already existing games, no future EA games will have an online pass going forward. Perhaps this move has something to do with delivery of video games through digital distribution with the Xbox One and the PS4? Whatever the case may be, many gamers will probably be happy to know that EA is ending the process once and for all. What do you think about the implications and message that this move poses towards the gaming community?
Source: Eurogamer.net