Earlier rumours of Ubisoft planning to introduce an online pass-code system with the release of Driver: San Francisco have been officially confirmed by the publisher. The pass has been named the Uplay Passport, and works in pretty much the same way the EA and recently announced Sony pass do.
First hand-new off the shelf games will have a single use code that allows players to access any online functionality and/or ‘bonus content’, while second hand buyers will now be required to purchase a specially generated code from either the Playstation Store or the Xbox Live Marketplace, before they can play online.
Analysts have been predicting this move towards more profitable online fees since last year, and with a large chunk of the biggest publishing behemoths in the industry unveiling their online plans business model, I think it’s fair to say that time has arrived. I suppose if every publisher is doing it then gamers will find it harder to complain about, right?
What do you think?
