Online Pass generates $10m-$15m for EA

Electronic Arts may have invited negativity over the past year with its divisive Online Pass system, but it has turned out to be a nice little earner for the firm.

During this week’s Citi 2011 Tech Conference in New York, EA CFO Eric Brown discussed the impact of its one-time codes, according to Gamasutra. The Pass counters pre-owned sales by charging second hand buyers an extra $10 to play games such as Need For Speed, Medal of Honor and various EA Sports titles online.

"The revenues we derive from [Online Pass sales] haven’t been dramatic," said Brown. "I’d say they’re in the $10m to $15m range since we initiated the program."

He added that, while this amount may not seem substantial in the grand scheme of things, it is all "found revenue" from consumers that used to "consume bandwidth for free".

Brown also discussed the success of The Sims Social, a new Facebook-based version of the multi-million selling PC series. The game currently sees 7.8m active users every day, making it the third most played game on the social network.

He said: "What has made [The Sims Social] a social success so far is the Playfish expertise combined with the creative excellence of the core Sims team. Those teams work together exceptionally well."

Image source: TheGamingLiberty