Syndicate is being published by EA Partners, meaning it doesn’t own the studio (Starbreeze). But EA does own the intellectual property behind Syndicate, making this a curious choice. Especially as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning another title being published under EA Partners — with heavy, direct investment from EA — will be subjected to Online Pass treatment, and it has no multiplayer component. Other EA Partners titles — notably Crysis 2 — have avoided such restrictions.
All in-house series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age (as well as the entire EA Sports label) are by now assumed to carry Online Passes — which means if you buy a used copy of the game, you’ll have to shell out $US10 to get at certain content, typically online multiplayer access or extra singleplayer missions.
Jeff Gamon, the executive producer of EA Partners, told Eurogamer that EA kept Online Pass out of Syndicate because EA wanted “as little resistance or barriers to entry as possible,” Gamon said.
“Under normal circumstances it would have had an online pass, but because it didn’t have competitive multiplayer and because we wanted as many people as possible to be playing co-op, we got away with it,” Gamon said.
No Online Pass for Syndicate, EA confirms [Eurogamer]
Snacuum
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 3:53 PM“Especially as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning another title being published under EA Partners — with heavy, direct investment from EA — will be subjected to Online Pass treatment, and it has no multiplayer component.”
What. The. Hell.
Lone Wolf
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:03 PMThe most common online pass content is multiplayer access, but single player games are more likely to be sold on because they are finite.
As I am generally not a patron of used games it doesn’t affect me much, but I still don’t like the tactics being employed by EA in these cases.
Looking into the future, the main issue I see is people being able to play the game if servers shut down and content is no longer available.
That Teemo
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:07 PMMass effect 2 had online pass and zero multiplayer content
weresmurf
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:25 PMSame as DAO and DA2. You pay to access the store to get the DLC…
Snacuum
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 8:27 PMDude that’s retarded. That’s why i’ve decided my legit copy of ME2 won’t even get installed, I’ll just crack it.
Eighty7
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 3:56 PMthey may not include the “online pass” for sydacite to try and grow a fan base but you can bet your bottom dollar if its successful and there is a sequel or prequel or possibly even DLC they will include an online pass system.
darkz
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:12 PMbull shit mass effect has not competive multiplayer yet has online pass
p tear griffin
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:17 PMif you dont like online pass dont buy the game
borzale
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:20 PM‘EA kept Online Pass out of Syndicate because EA wanted “as little resistance or barriers to entry as possible,”’
Or you know, you could do this for ALL of your games EA.
I experienced this with Dead Space 2 the other day. My internet was out for some reason and I wanted to play some Dead Space 2 while I couldn’t play my normal multiplayer games. Turns out some of the core features (using the find line, coming out of aim mode, stomping for starters) in single player are disabled if you’re not connected to the internet, making the game completely fuckin useless.
It’s stupid that in this case, pirated versions of the game provide a better experience than those that don’t. (I’m not really into multiplayer dead space 2)
lance
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:27 PMYou realize this means Aussies can import and play online with no issue at all. This rules.
Choc
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:57 PMand its not beyond the realms of possibility this was a driver behind EA’s decision
Ridort
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 4:59 PMMy god, you’re right!
monkeyd_93
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 5:12 PMit still wouldn’t be an issue to play online even with the pass, all you’d need is an account in the same region to redeem the code on, then you could play it on any account on the ps3 (that’s what someone did with an imported copy of BF3).
Lance
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 6:25 PMOh yeah, you’re completely right. I forgot that’s what I did with Mortal Kombat.
King Bee
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 9:38 PMthis game is terrible
BEk
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:15 PMJust goes to prove that EA really don’t need the online passes and that their excuse and reason for it to be used against combatting second hand sales is utter rubbish and nothing more than a money grab. The company has just released their latest financial report showing their biggest financial quarter in almost 8 years and attributes it to “strong showing by our digital games and services”.
graf
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 3:58 AMThese passes are nothing but money grabbing and not to combat second hand sales as EA has just posted their biggest financial quarter in almost 8 years.
AerintheADEQUATE
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 4:43 AMI played the Co-Op demo for ps3 for hours last night. It’s just one map/mission and I just played it over and over. I don’t know what it is, but something has me loving it.
The healing, the hacking, the PISTOLS… something about those pistols grabbed me by the endorphins and squeezed me ever so gently.
…I’m sorry what were we talking about?