EA Launches Latest Cash Grab: ‘Season Ticket’

Whether or not you are fond of the ‘downloadable content’ idea that game publishers have clearly embraced, it’s not going to go anywhere. In fact, while DLC was limited to just a select few titles a couple of years ago, there are very few games released today that are not built from the ground-up to support it. In some ways, DLC can be a great thing for gamers, but it does prove to be a cash sink, one that makes it easy to spend more money over time than most people even realize.

The reason that DLC remains so popular is that gamers keep on purchasing it – myself included. When the content featured in the DLC is compelling, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the content probably should have shipped with the game in the first place. There’s nothing quite like spending $50 for a game today that you can clear through in 8 hours, only to spend $10 or more on DLC in the weeks following the release, is there?

While DLC is undoubtedly proving itself to be a great revenue-generator for game makers, some publishers are still looking for ways to further dip into the pockets of their loyal customers, with Activision and EA happily sitting at the forefront. The latter is the latest to actually roll out one new idea though, and it’s called “EA SPORTS Season Ticket”.

Upon first hearing the name, I had a feeling that the service involved subscription-based sports games for those who may not want to run out and purchase one in a lump sum, because I do see that happening at some point. But that’s not it. Rather, Season Ticket’s biggest selling-point is that members will be able to play a handful of EA SPORTS titles three days in advance of launch – without buying it up front.

It works by allowing the gamer to download each title through their respective Xbox Live or PlayStation Network accounts. For three days, said gamer will be able to enjoy the latest EA SPORTS title, without a commitment up-front. After this trial is over, a retail version of the game will need to be purchased to continue playing.

Wait – what did I just say?

Yes, as it seems, even though the game would be downloaded to the gamer’s console of choice, EA is requiring an actual disc to be purchased in order to continue playing after the game’s launch. This is no doubt due to EA SPORTS’ partnerships with game-sellers like Gamestop, but it’s an odd move nonetheless. Could you imagine pre-ordering a game on Steam and then needing to run out to the store to purchase an actual copy? If you can’t, that’s because it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the same thing as what EA is requiring of gamers here.

Other perks include free premium Web content and discounted DLC – 20% off (meaning that over $100 worth will need to be purchased for this to pay itself off). There’s also ‘membership recognition’, but I am not sure those who actually purchase this will want to be recognized.

Is it just me, or does it feel a bit odd that EA is selling a service here that includes things we considered a given just a few years ago? “Pre-release” access might offer the full game, but in the end it’s still nothing more than a demo.