EA Sports Unveils Season Ticket - UPDATED

[Andy Chalk]

EA Sports Unveils Season Ticket - UPDATED

For 25 bucks a year, the new EA Sports Season Ticket program offers subscribers early access to games, DLC discounts, free content and more - but be sure to check the fine print before you sign up.

Electronic Arts took the wraps off the new Season Ticket program today, a subscription-based service that offers gamers "premium benefits for a better gaming experience" on five EA Sports franchises. The upcoming Madden NFL 12 [http://www.amazon.com/Madden-NFL-12-Xbox-360/dp/B003O6EAM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312300137&sr=8-1] will be the first game to incorporate Season Ticket, followed by releases in the NHL Hockey, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and NCAA Football series.

For 25 greenbacks per annum, fans will get "full-game digital access" to new releases, allowing them to download and play the full versions of new games three days before their scheduled release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The ticket price also includes a 20 percent discount on all DLC, free access to "premium web content" starting with the Creation Center packs for FIFA 12 [http://www.amazon.com/FIFA-Soccer-12-Xbox-360/dp/B004Z4ZJZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312300208&sr=8-1] and an "exclusive membership recognition badge" that will appear on subscribers' profiles.

So what's the catch? The early access to new releases expires once the game in question hits retail, at which point you'll have to pay full pop if you want to keep playing. And in order to access a game's Season Ticket content, you'll have to register its Online Pass - in other words, preowned copies do not qualify.

It's tempting to dismiss Season Ticket as just another EA cash-grab but I don't see the aforementioned requirements as particularly onerous and EA isn't holding previously-free content for ransom. But I do wonder if there are really that many die-hard EA Sports fans out there; there are lots of fans of specific franchises, obviously, but is there enough crossover between, say, the NFL, NHL and PGA franchises to warrant a program like this?

EA Sports Season Ticket is only available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For more information, have a look at easports.com/seasonticket [http://www.easports.com/seasonticket].

UPDATE: As noted by Videogamer [http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/fifa_12/news/ea_sports_season_ticket_xbox_360_exclusive_in_europe.html], Season Ticket is not currently available on the PS3 in Europe. "While we have not reached an agreement for the program with Sony Europe, we're pleased to be able to offer EA Sports Season Ticket for both PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America and Xbox 360 in Europe," EA said in a statement. No time frame for a European PS3 arrival was given.


Permalink

 

[vxicepickxv]

I can see enough people that are... eager, yeah that's the word, eager enough to buy this.

So much for that popcap debt.

 

[Traun]

We buy their game, they're DLC and their junk merchandise. We even market they games on Facebook and other social media.

And they want more and more and more...

 

[MellowFellow]

I doubt I will be getting this because I really only play the NCAA games. Oh well I never played a lot online anyways.

 

[Delusibeta]

Interesting response to Call of Duty Elite, EA. I hope both schemes bomb, in case having to pay a subscription becomes a requirement.

 

[Negatempest]

Hehehehe...hahahaha...HAHAHAHA!
Can't wait for this type of bull**** to be okay for about 5 years, than cause a video game crash or revolution of some kind where the government would have to get involved because of corporate greed, THAN create a new era of gaming that would than be corrupted after 10 years..seems to be the sweet spot.

hahaha *crying* QQQQqqqqQQQQqqqqQQQQqqqqQQQQqqqq

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

$25 for a 20% discount on dlc and access to the game 3 days prior to release? Is it kinda like a demo EA? I hope this bombs, subscription fees for minor bonuses just doesn't sit right with me and I'd hate to see other publishers start taking similar steps. It just reeks of EA squeezing every last penny of out it customers it can possibly get.

 

[Marudas]

So...Does anyone *Like* EA anymore? I don't mean something as simple as buying their games. I mean, does anyone genuinely enjoy EA as a company?

Each and every news post about them lately seems to be about a cash grab, or a fight against used game sales, or another marketing campaign like Dead Space's that drags the industry back a couple of years.

I know tons of Developers that have the players and community at interest when they're coming up with their games and planning. They're as interested in players having fun as they are making a living. But I really can't think of any publishers I'd say the same about (except perhaps blizzard). When I'm not being treated like a magpie with a wallet, I'm being treated as a dangerous pirate or used game purchaser (though I never do either of those).

 

[Alade]

I'm not affected by this in any way (Sport games? Please), so I'll try to offer an objective opinion. They're not taking away any content from you, they're allowing you to get content faster (Kind of like watching a movie at the cinema maybe?). Also, they let you play a game for three days before it's released, not a demo, the full game, you were going to buy it on release but you don't like it after all? 35$ saved on just a single game.

I'm hoping they implement this even further (They won't, everyone will *****), I'd be glad to subscribe to a Bioware version of this, lets me get awesome content earlier and saves money from stuff like DA2.

 

[Negatempest]

So...Does anyone *Like* EA anymore? I don't mean something as simple as buying their games. I mean, does anyone genuinely enjoy EA as a company?

Each and every news post about them lately seems to be about a cash grab, or a fight against used game sales, or another marketing campaign like Dead Space's that drags the industry back a couple of years.

I know tons of Developers that have the players and community at interest when they're coming up with their games and planning. They're as interested in players having fun as they are making a living. But I really can't think of any publishers I'd say the same about (except perhaps blizzard). When I'm not being treated like a magpie with a wallet, I'm being treated as a dangerous pirate or used game purchaser (though I never do either of those).

Aye, blizzard would do no harm...
http://www.1up.com/news/diablo-3-requires-online-when-playing
or
http://kotaku.com/5826453/diablo-iii-mods-are-forbidden-banned-not-allowed

See, there are "certain" kind of DRM I can understand and accept and others I consider bull****.

Always internet access for Starcraft I could understand. You got the game to either compete against others in a match OR to try the user created mods..which require you to be online regardless of the DRM.

But to do that on a game that can be considered a single player adventure with Co-op as a bonus is just stretching the limit.

THAN forbid the use of mods. Well I'm not a purist myself and I cannot say the same for others. But to me mods always added life to a game that developers would soon enough just forget or abandon (ala Halo 2, Diablo 1&2, etc.). Mods more less created a good number of games that exist today, Team Fortress 2 and Dota just to name a few. Nor did I pay a nice sum of money on a extremely good computer to play video games in a way that cannot be done on a console.

p.s. Sorry, but i'm not making fun of you or angry at ya. Just that video game companies are getting me irritated nowadays. Only so few allow the community to enjoy a game in a form they would like too.

 

[GonzoGamer]

$25 for a 20% discount on dlc and access to the game 3 days prior to release? Is it kinda like a demo EA? I hope this bombs, subscription fees for minor bonuses just doesn't sit right with me and I'd hate to see other publishers start taking similar steps. It just reeks of EA squeezing every last penny of out it customers it can possibly get.

Yea, it's not charging for previously free materials but they are basically saying: "We know you're all suckers, so why don't you buy this too.... every year."

It's really hard to take their "used/pirated game" bitching and whining seriously when they come up with a new scheme like this every month.

Other EA schemes in the works:
Peripheral interface bonus: The game was made to be played with the new gimmicky controller the platform developer just came out with. If you want to play with a regular gamepad, you need to pay $10.

Remember your name: Want to be able to say Madden knows you on a first name basis? Pay $10 and you can enter your name into the game's records and it will say Hi to you when you load up.

Time Out: Do you like to use the bathroom sometimes? Then you'll want this great tool that will allow you to stop the action, call a time out, and go to the bathroom and/or get a drink & snacks.

Be loved: Does nobody love you? Pay us $30 a year and we promise we will be your friend.

Rick-Rolled Out: Are you completely sick of the Rick Roll thing? Well we promise that you will never hear that song or see that dance in one of our games if you pay us $10.

Sick of Cake: Same thing as Rick-Rolled Out, but with the promise that we wont mention cake in the game. Disclaimer: you might still see some pie.

Child Friendly: Tired of hearing your brat scream while you're trying to play a game? Pay us $10 and you'll be able to have a small window pop up that shows Elmo dancing.

 

[Blazingdragoon04]

Man, seriously. Don't buy this, don't buy into Call of Duty Elite, and lets nip this bad attempt at cash grabbing in the butt before it gets too out of hand.

I know they are mostly extras, but these extras used to be put into the games for free, they were what got one game sold over another. These days it seems that game companies are taking out more and more extras in order to get the most profit out of their games, and while it is understandable in the economy we are currently facing, doing things like this is going too far. Soon even people who pay for the game at launch day will probably be forced to buy into another program outside of Xbox live or Playstation network just to play games online, that being decided to be an "extra" like so many other things.