Ubisoft, never tired of finding ways to screw with its customers, is undoubtedly punching the air and rubbing its hands together at the news of EA Sport’s Online Pass initiative, a new scheme that charged secondhand buyers $10 to play its games online, while brand new copies offer it for free. Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft likes this, and may follow with its own plans.
“Most of the games we are releasing next year will have from the start downloadable content available,” explains Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez, “and we are looking very carefully at what is happening with EA regarding what we are calling the $10 solution, and will probably be following that line sometime in the future.”
That’s all well and good, and I get that publishers don’t want people buying used games. However, this despicable victim complex from companies that still make millions upon millions of dollars and charge $60 per game really is getting trite and pathetic. I’m sick to death of publishers acting like the used market is exclusive to the industry and a dreadful cancer, especially as we’re edging ever closer to an all-digital market where these companies are gearing up for complete dominion over its customers and their wallets.
Basically, STFU game industry. You’re not a unique and fragile little flower. Actually offering good incentives for paying customers, rather than holding expected features hostage, should be your focus. But of course, that would be the less dickish thing to do, and we can’t have that.
Ubisoft will ‘probably follow’ EA’s Project $10 [Videogamer]
