[Yahoo! Games] How playing Madden online could cost you $10

They are not paying for it to begin with.....when they buy it used, it is not paying for the servers to run multiplayer.

I love the idea, and the consumer won't get killed, the price of the used product will go down to compensate for the $10 fee.

DD

 

If you want to support them bc it helps make up some loses due to used game sales and piracy then I understand. But don't use server fees as an excuse when people would run dcated servers for EA for free if they let them. This has nothing to do with server fees. Also when someone sells their game they will no longer be on EA's servers. It is not like you are getting extra people on the servers.

 

But EA has no obligation to allow people to run servers for free, and honestly, that would be bad business.

Getting people to buy the new versions is a much better model for them.....

If people don't like it, they are free to compete and make their own games.

I am sure the $10 fee is going to be a little bit of a pain for EA because it is a contract between them and the person paying that amount.

And if they kill the servers after someone paid the fee, they may be facing lawsuits.

Either way, the industry is getting hurt by used sales and piracy, this is a good step towards stopping that.

DD

 

This sort of system is already being implemented by several other developers.

THQ with UFC 2010:
http://www.pastapadre.com/2010/05/19/confirmed-ufc-2010-requires-code-for-online-play

Ubisoft likely to implement it as well:
http://edge-online.com/news/ubisoft-to-follow-eas-used-game-strategy

And I think Sony has already been doing it for some of their PSP games (SOCOM, Modnation Racers, etc).

So if you're boycotting EA for this move, here's some more to add to the list. And I might have missed some.

 

Shenanigan's!!!!

 

EA needs to improve their online service before asking for more money.

 

Get used to it, we have to find some way of getting some of that used games revenue.....

When the retailers are making more off our products than we are, something has to give.

We are taking the risk, they are not.

DD

 

No problem. As long as the service is good. Pay to activate access to a server which is shutting down in 1 year? No.

 

Something will have to be worked out, as paying is a form of contract, my guess is that they will still cut the servers off, but reduce the cost of playing on them until the cut off date.

DD

 

Easy, publishing companies can start a used game system directly and compete with gamestop. Buybacks at better prices or guaranteeing used games that come with manuals. Sure it'll cannibalize their new game sales, but at least they'll get some money vs no money right?

 

I'd rather see the servers stay longer. I believe good games and good services drive the industry moving foward. Shtti ones don't get my money.

 

So this is pretty much going to murder Gamefly. Or will there be some kind of "rental code" from Gamefly purchasing a rental license that they will send.

 

Will only purchase the call of duty/modern warfare games from now on, will rent the rest from Gamefly!!!

 

We will put them out of business soon enough.



Or make them pay.....lol.....bwhhahahaahah

DD

 

Just to play single player nothing else, my days of buying 4 new games for over $200 in a month are over. Will save a lot of money just renting the games from gamefly. Game on.

 

And when the games all go to digital distribution? What then?

DD

 

Price drop!! or
Torrents my friend.

 

I started boycotting them when they purchased exclusive rights to the NFL. I hate those guys.

 

So it's not a server/online issue, it's just another way to bleed more money out of the end user, right?

Games, from a supply/demand standpoint are a commodity, bought and sold in a market place...for the gazillionth time, if you guys don't like it, get into the retail market to get that additional revenue that's out there...apparently, that's where the money is, but I've always thought it was from a development perspective...you sell your intellectual property, get paid, move on to the next project...

And you're right, developers/software cos. are taking the financial/operational risk, but if you don't like the amount you guys are being paid, shouldn't you renegotiate the terms of the price of the new games? I don't get how you can "tax" a used game once you've already sold the rights of that product...That would mean changing how the economics work with retailers...

 

Easy?

Kind of doubt that. Not really sure how a team of maybe a 100 or so employees (and this would be a large video game company probably) could really setup a program that would really compete with the 6000+ Gamestops out there. Perhaps they should all work together to launch their own chain, but still not all that realistic.

Now forming a digital distribution group...

Probably won't help them. But EA will at least offer a free trial, which is sort of like a rental code.

Gamefly (and others) probably could work out something if they wanted to, although I'm guessing that's not the case right now.

Again, easier said than done. I'd like to see some suggestions on how they could realistically get this to work out. They probably would if they could.

Though in a way, they will. Not with used games, but with directly selling games to users once digital distribution becomes more of a reality.

Don't know if renegotiating will work out too well. $50-$60 is probably the sweet spot for how much profit they earn. Though again, I'd be curious to see how games would do at much cheaper prices...but not really viable price point for most games under current circumstances.

Just seems like a compromise between the usual system with console games and the system used for (most?) PC games (or software in general). Could just drop the tax altogether and bundle keys with every copy. Only one activation allowed per game.