Syndicate won't use an online pass

Syndicate won't use an online pass. EA reasons that the co-op shouldn't have a barrier to entry, and hopes that the lengthy gameplay will prevent early trade-ins.

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Unlike many of EA's other games, Syndicate won't use an Online Pass system, the publisher has confirmed. Partners titles, like Syndicate and Crysis 2, aren't required to carry one. The move is being touted as a means of encouraging players to try out all of the game's features, including its co-op play.

"We want as little resistance or barriers to entry as possible," EA Partners executive producer Jeff Gamon said.

"The co-op is equal billing in this. We wanted everyone who owns a copy of the game to have access to the entire product," Gamon told Eurogamer.

Gamon says that if the game had included a competitive mode, 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," he said. He also points out that the co-op maps will last six or seven hours themselves, which EA hopes will stave off trade-ins and rentals.

Online passes have gotten a lot of attention in the past week for two other EA-published titles: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, in which the online pass grants access to single-player content; and SSX, which allows multiplayer without the pass but keeps you from using your earned tokens. Now that online passes have become a mainstay, it's clear that EA is still experimenting to find the right fit for different types of games.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    February 1, 2012 12:00 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Syndicate won't use an online pass.

    Syndicate won't use an online pass. EA reasons that the co-op shouldn't have a barrier to entry, and hopes that the lengthy gameplay will prevent early trade-ins.

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      February 1, 2012 12:14 PM

      good for them. i guess EA isnt always evil i hope they do well

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      February 1, 2012 12:18 PM

      It will use Origin, which is even worse.

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      February 1, 2012 12:24 PM

      "The co-op is equal billing in this. We wanted everyone who owns a copy of the game to have access to the entire product,"

      I like how this has to be even touted as some sort of "feature" or favor to the consumer. This should be default out of the door. Next, patting themselves on the back for allowing their game to be played for free on the internet.

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      February 1, 2012 12:25 PM

      I am guessing that this has more to do with them unsure of how well it will sell.

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        February 1, 2012 12:42 PM

        Yeah, sounds like them hedging their bets.

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        February 1, 2012 1:15 PM

        I think so too. Yet another shooter. Not a lot of buzz. People still empty from holiday spending or still playing their gifts. Putting an online pass in here is not a smart move if they want people to play it, especially the coop.

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      February 1, 2012 12:55 PM

      [deleted]

      • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        February 1, 2012 1:15 PM

        1. CD Key not required for install
        2. "Pass" being purchasable by later owners

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          February 1, 2012 1:28 PM

          [deleted]

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            February 1, 2012 1:41 PM

            [deleted]

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            February 1, 2012 2:02 PM

            Do book and music developers and publishers also deserve something from second hand sales.

          • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            February 1, 2012 2:22 PM

            Er, that first line should read Pass not required for install. I was trying to do a little comparison thing where I referred to a Pass as a CD-Key that didn't behave like a CD Key, but it didn't work out properly. :/

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