EA Sports reveals Online Pass

EA Sports boss Peter Moore has lifted the lid on what the company is calling the Online Pass – it’s own take on the DLC code system that rewards those who buy brand new copies of its games.

Much like the tactics already employed with fellow EA releases such as The Sims 3, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, EA Sports titles will now come bundled with a code that is required to access the online component of the game.

The code will also grant access to additional in-game content.

Those who buy the game second-hand will face a $10 charge to obtain a new code, though free 7-day trials will also be offered. Pirates, of course, will have to permanently live without this key functionality.

The first game to include an Online Pass will be Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, which is due for release in the UK on July 2nd. From that point on all EA Sports releases on Xbox 360 and PS3 will use the Online Pass system.

It’s obvious that we’re thinking about game development radically differently today than even a few years ago, particularly in the online space,” Peter Moore stated on his blog.

EA’s intention to lead the industry’s move toward digital has been well documented, and as we think about our commitment to creating value for consumers through digital services at EA Sports specifically, we’ve launched a number of new online features and products that are transforming the sports gaming experience.

This is an important inflection point in our business and one we think is fair because it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhance premium online services to the entire robust EA Sports online community. And we’re delighted that GameStop is offering their support of this program as a place for gamers to purchase points that provide access to downloadable content from EA at their stores and through their website.”