In an effort to battle piracy and second-hand sales, online passes have been implemented by several major companies including the likes of Electronic Arts and Ubisoft. Sony recently dabbled in the concept with a system of their own, which was promptly shown unpopular reception by PlayStation fans in several countries. Apparently the reception wasn’t enough, as Uncharted 3 is set to debut in just over a month with an online pass requirement of its own.
During an interview with Juan Jimenez, Software Manager at Sony, Juan revealed that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be the second game to require a Sony Online Pass in order to take advantage of online features. New copies of the game will contain a code which gives online access to all PSN accounts associated with the PS3 that the code is entered on, making it more reasonable than other solutions, but still a hurdle for those who prefer to save money by buying used games or using rental services.
Sony recently stated that they plan to make this a regular requirement for all of their high-profile exclusives heading into the future, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, and appears to be a new trend of the future. Similar to Resistance 3, which was the first game to feature Sony’s proprietary pass system, the code will be offered for $9.99 through the PlayStation Store.
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