Online Passes Should Change When Online Servers Are Shut Down

Electronic Arts shutting down the online servers for some of its less recent titles is nothing unusual; it's happened numerous times, just as it has with other publishers' titles. Games like Burnout Revenge and Need for Speed: ProStreet will no longer feature online play come April 13, and in light of how old the games are (Revenge has been available for six years on Xbox 360), it's hard to be surprised. Not all of the games getting the shutdown treatment are quite so old, however, and age is not even the only problem with what's going on here.
EA was the company that spearheaded the online pass movement. Although the motivation behind it is often said to be something else, online passes help publishers to make money off of used game sales. Certain features -- typically online multiplayer, though that's not always the case -- are not accessible merely by popping in the game. Those who purchase a new copy of such a game are given a code that can be redeemed for access to these features, while used game buyers are forced to purchase the online pass (usually for $10 or $15) in order to gain their hands on the content.
EA Sports MMA is among the games announced as having its servers shut down next month. At that time it will be less than a year and a half old, but what's more distressing is the fact that it uses an online pass. Someone could have very well picked up a used copy over the weekend before news spread (as if he or she should be expected to keep tabs on this sort of thing) and purchased an online pass, only to find it will only be of use for the next few weeks. At some point this was going to become a problem with games using online passes, and it's a tricky subject to deal with. Some might suggest EA offer refunds to those who purchased a pass recently, but how do you decide what the cutoff should be? Anyone within 30 days of the shutdown date? What if someone bought it 31 days prior; they got their money's worth?
It is worth noting the servers for these games are being shut down due to lack of use. EA says on its website (where you can see the list of games shutting down in April) that this happens when online activity in a particular game represents "fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles," at which point "it's no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running."
Additionally, you can bet that End User License Agreement you blindly accept when first playing a game outlines the fact that something like this can happen, so it's hard to make the argument that there were no indications of this happening. And it's also hard to blame EA for doing this from a business standpoint; it makes good sense to focus its efforts on its more popular titles rather than spend resources on a game not many people are playing.
However, shutting games down this quickly after release, especially games that now feature these newfangled online passes, seems unfair. I've written previously about how I don't think online passes are as unfair as many others do, but I do agree they aren't ideal. They present problems like forcing new buyers to jump through hoops and withholding content from gamers who are without Internet access. We can now add this to the list of online pass imperfections, as not knowing how long your online pass will be good for is not about to make anyone more likely to purchase one -- and not in a way that leads to them opting for a new copy of the game, either.

Also going away next month is the ability to download the Midnight Club content for The Saboteur. While it's an insignificant thing -- it allows nudity in a scene where dancers would otherwise be slightly more decent -- the precedent this sets is worrisome. Shutting down online servers is one thing, but now it would seem that locked content will forever be lost, only to be available to those who previously downloaded it or sort out a way to distribute it online.
This is exactly what many feared online passes would eventually lead to when publishers no longer felt like paying to keep the appropriate servers online. The Midnight Club itself may not cause much of an outrage, but imagine this scenario with, say, Zaeed in Mass Effect 2. Given the series' popularity it's unlikely to happen anytime soon, but stick with me: Although he may not be the most engrossing character in the series, the idea of him suddenly being gone because of the game's waning popularity is a real possibility. If this situation came up in a few years EA could probably release the character for free on PC; arranging a solution for console players, on the other hand, may not be so simple.
I don't know what the perfect solution would be -- feel free to share your thoughts below, keeping in mind EA is not about to ditch online passes -- but there is clearly something wrong with this scenario. If online passes are going to be used, gamers need to be assured the game in question will stay up for a certain period of time.
Just as importantly, that period needs to be longer than a year and a half.     by chris pereira