EA Online Passes expired in new games.
A user on NegGaf found that his brand new copy of, the relatively un-new game of, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit contained an online Pass voucher whose code had already expired.
After some investigating, ShackNews that many users had been experience the same issues since October and so tested the claim themselves with new copies of Hot Pursuit, Medal of Honor and MMA - all of which had expired vouchers. It's all down to the fine print on the voucher, which states that the vouchers can indeed expire.
When asked by the site, a Sony spokesperson said:
The system doesn’t flush out older codes…any code with an expiration date is defined by the publisher.
This basically means the platform holder will honor the publisher codes and parameters set by said publisher.
Shack also read through EA’s ToS agreement, finding that the firm can “retire online features” after 30 days if it sees fit. This means that if you don't get the game hot off the shelves, EA are within it's right to deny you certain content until you buy another Online pass.
That's just silly, surely?
However EA has commented to Joystiq on the matter, stating that if the pass included in the new game is expired, users can download a new pass or attain one from EA directly. Well that's all alright then?
Still no. It's another annoying hurdle for legitimate gamers to jump just to play a game they own. Le sigh.
[via VG247]
