EA Sports: Its our job to make you not want to trade in

One thing I have to do, and it’s my job, and my development team’s job, and my marketing team’s job, is make you not want to trade the game in.”

Those are the words of EA Sports boss Peter Moore. The publisher has been one of the leading lights in the DLC code movement that sees those who buy pre-owned games locked out of certain in-game content.

In EA’s case, this will soon include online multiplayer. Those who buy a used game will have to fork out for a new code directly from the publisher to access the blocked content.

However, the claim that schemes such as the Online Pass are a direct assault on pre-owned games – the sale of which publisher’s see no return on – is actually quite rare. Many publishers have claimed that DLC codes are all about added content” and not related to pre-owned at all.

In fact, EA’s UK boss Keith Ramsdale told MCV earlier this month that that Online Pass is all about the customer, about improving their experience. It’s not a defensive measure against pre-owned or piracy.”

Moore even goes as far to claim that gamers are understanding of the position publishers have been put in.

I read everything you write, and then I read everything that they write about what you write underneath, and I will say you have the overwhelming majority of people that are buying new,” Moore told Kotaku.

And those guys are actually vocal against people who buy used. They recognise the business model implications of new versus used. Whilst I’m not sure they’re angry, they absolutely look at what’s going on in the marketplace and understand totally what it is we’re doing.”