According to publisher EA, revenue that has been generated because of the company’s Online Pass system has been significant but not as major as the publisher had hoped. The system itself is a response to GameStop’s used game sales, forcing gamers that buy used to have to pay a fee for playing online.
Speaking to Gamasutra, EA CFO Eric Brown had the following to say:
The revenues we derive from that haven’t been dramatic. I’d say they’re in the $10-$15 million range since we initiated the program.
However, EA still views the Online Pass as beneficial, with Brown pointing out that any revenue gained comes from users who used to “consume bandwidth for free”.
Servers used for hosting the games are becoming more expensive, leading more people to turn to an Online Pass type system. Earlier this week, DICE executive producer Patrick Bach stated that Battlefield 3 will most likely use the Online Pass to help pay for server costs.
