The Uncharted 3 paywall is designed to tackle pirates, Sony says.
Uncharted 3 is the latest in a long line of games that requires players to input a special one-use code in order to get access to the game’s multiplayer. Sony first rolled out its version of the online pass system – PSN Pass – earlier this year for Resistance 3.
Juan Jiménez, Sony España’s software manager, confirmed that Sony was using the PSN Pass system for Uncharted 3, and that anyone who bought a pre-owned copy of the game would to pay the now-standard $10 fee in order to get a pass of their own. According to Jiménez, the pass is supposedly a buffer against piracy, with no mention of it being an attempt to claw back a few bucks on pre-order sales. Of course, considering Sony’s ham-fisted efforts to tackle piracy in the past, it’s almost believable that that’s the case.
Jiménez also implied that Sony would include the PSN Pass in all its future mainstream releases, and if that’s correct, it’s sad to see Online Passes claim another publisher, because it means yet another raw deal for us gamers. I understand that making games is expensive and publishers and developers don’t see a cent from pre-owned sales, but punishing consumers with fees and restricted feature lists because they can’t afford to drop sixty bucks on every high-profile title that comes out does not seem the best way to handle the situation.
Uncharted 3 comes out for PS3 on November 1st.
