EA CEO defends Online Pass

EA is hell-bent on making money off pre-owned game sales. They’ve already started with Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network and Bad Company 2‘s VIP codes, and now they’re expanding to their sports titles with the new Online Pass. Consumers have responded not so favorably to the announcement, but EA CEO John Riccitiello says it’s a good deal not just for EA but for gamers as well.

EA is hell-bent on making money off pre-owned game sales. They’ve already started with Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network and Bad Company 2‘s VIP codes, and now they’re expanding to their sports titles with the new Online Pass. Consumers have responded not so favorably to the announcement, but EA CEO John Riccitiello says it’s a good deal not just for EA but for gamers as well.

“We think it’s a great idea, we think it’s going to build our business, and we think it’s a positive consumer experience,” said Riccitiello on the company’s financial call this afternoon. “Invariably, the consumer is getting a boat load more content to experience than they otherwise would.”

The Online Pass gives, among other things, multiplayer access to those who buy second-hand copies of EA Sports games for US$ 10. It’s kinda like Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network, although the latter also gives free access to extra DLC.

COO John Schappert also backed up his fellow John: “By giving people this access code, we got them into the online world,” Schappert said. “We’ve seen a very strong uptick in downloadable content across all of those titles because we had content available on day one, and we seeded it with a bonus token of free content.”

Via [IGN]