Planet Xbox 360 reports that Crytek will not adopt EA's 'Online Pass' - a secondary 'charge' that can apply if you buy any of EA's games second-hand and wish to play online. This has been largely controversial for Xbox 360 gamers as they already pay for Gold service.
Crytek, however, is not playing ball. Personally, it's nice to see a revolt against this scheme (albeit a mini-revolt) but I would much rather see studios adopt an approach similiar to that of Bioware or Ubisoft where content was made available for free if you bought the game new. It's much more ethical and sustainable to offer incentives for new purchases rather than restrict access to those gamers who have chosen to buy their used games legitimately.
Gamers who buy used are doing so because they are seeking a less expensive product. Habitual purchasers will rarely buy new unless it is a title they really want it. If gamers know they're going to get screwed buying used, even though no money goes to the studio's pocket; surely it is better for that gamer to have bought the game and offer the studio a chance to sell more DLC rather than guide that gamer to a path of piracy.
When studios finally admit to themselves (as the music industry was forced to) that punishing consumers for buying goods doesn't work. Charging high prices or forcing consumers to down a specific path only gives cause to pursue illegitimate means of obtaining what they want. Instead, embrace the used game market and think of better ways to entice your consumers to spend their pennies. Don't forget: many gamers who buy sequels (brand new) to a franchise become familiar with it through a used purchase. This isn't because they're cheap, they just don't see the point of investing full value into a game they may not want...nor should they.
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