PSN Pass Leak Was “Way Ahead Of Sony’s Schedule”

TSA Staff 84 Comments

The PSN Pass leak earlier in the week apparently wasn’t planned, at least it wasn’t meant to be revealed yet – that’s according to Insomniac’s James Stevenson.

The Community Manager for the developer spoke out today on the Insomniac forums.  “As soon as we can announce more details about how it works, we will,” he said, suggesting that we don’t know everything about the service, despite Sony’s press release.  That could be good news – will it be per console rather than per PSN account?

“Obviously the box art from Europe leaking out early was way ahead of Sony’s schedule for discussing how this would happen,” he also commented.  Looks like no-one was supposed to see that particular Resistance 3 box.

It’s a “game-specific” paid for online code system, which means that second hand or rented copies of games will have features locked out until the player pays for an activation code.  “This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio,” was the official word from Sony.

PSN Pass is a hot topic here, just two stories on TheSixthAxis have attracted well over 200 comments.

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84 Comments

  1. 201 comments. I’m for and against it, depends how much alcohol is in my system.

    • Actually it was 243 comments before your post.

    • Curious to see how many comments the whole pass thing has generated if all of the EA, THQ, and whoever else articles were included. Had a quick search using search bar, but gave up as it was throwing up a ton of different unrelated articles.

      • sorry to reply, but is it possible that someone could throw up an ‘Online pass – yay or nay’ poll?

      • Lol that just crossed my mind! Yes defo need a vote on this one,

    • I’m all for it. Anyone that truely cares about gaming should also be all for it. Clearly without developers making money, there will be no games, or at best Nintendo-like shovelware.

      • & without trade ins, I wouldn’t buy half of the new games that I do. So swings & roundabouts really.

        I just wonder if they are aware of just how many people trade in so that they can afford new purchases?

  2. This on-line pass is going to destroy Lovefilm if every game starts doing this. Then i will have to go back to playing around 3 or 4 games a year.

    • Only for online games unless im mistaken mate. Love film will be fine! It’s only a small percentage of what they have to offer.

      I’m all up for it anyway! Buy all my games new,

      • I use it primarily for games so if i am going to have to pay lovefilm then pay for a pass then there’s no point in having it.

      • but most games have an online portion these days.

    • I would imagine rental companies will have rental copies of the game that don’t require PSN Pass to access all features. They will negotiate a deal, as they do now, to be able to rent the games out. It wont affect them other than maybe having to pay more to get a rental contract. This could potentially increase the cost of game rentals.

      • Very much doubt that companies will dish out rental copies that don’t need a psn pass for full access kinda defeats the purpose of the psn pass.

      • If you read his comment you would see he assumes they “will negotiate a deal”.
        Not sure how possible that is tbh, unlocked versions? hmmmmm

      • I did read his comment mate! Hence why I replied :0)

      • im meant properly. Not just the first line. Anyhoo…. not even sure unlocked copies could be available. Do you?

      • dammit, i meant possible. Me and my hasty mouth :s

      • Nah can’t see it happening tbh as every 2nd hand trader will just rent instead of even buying a single game.

      • I mean for the likes of blockbuster or lovefilm who deal out the same exact copy over and over. They will require 100% of the game to justify the rental price equality over all games.
        I just dont know if the pubs/devs can provide that even if they wanted to.

      • As far as I know rental places don’t have any specific version, from what I’ve seen when it comes to selling on rental copies they will include the pass with it.

  3. I find it hilarious how some people are threatening not to buy the game over this. Well if you’re so angry over something that only affects consumers who buy used copies, Insomniac wasn’t going to see your money either way.
    So, to them, it was as if you were never going to buy the game either way.

    On a personal note, I do hope that the PSN pass is per console, as I have 4 users for my PS3, and two of us are big Resistance fans.

    • Its a valid point. Unfortunately perspective only comes from the eye of the beholder.

      Rarely do we see from outside of our own box, loss of trade value being the main glint in the eye of the preowned sellers.

    • well for me, there have been a few games i would have bought new, but won’t because of this.

      and to say it has no affect on people who buy new is just wrong.
      i devalues your game, i’d call that a definite affect.

      i’d also call it legally dubious.
      but as it relates to an ongoing service they’re providing, they’re probably legally in the right.
      morally however, it’s a different matter,

      • Legally Sony are in there rights to wipe out 2nd hand games anyway. As In every games manual it quite clearly states ” Resale and rental prohibited unless expressly authorised by SCEE” So they can just say they don’t authorise any shops to do this.

      • The resale and rental thing is tripe, if that was the case then why not take action against the shops for reselling.
        They don’t because the shops could afford to fight it in court.

      • and like i’ve said, god knows how many times, no license agreement or end user license or anything like that will override the law.

        the law sates we have a right to resell our property so that statement isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, except to scare people who aren’t aware of their rights.

      • there’s that too, and as I’ve noticed all of the terms on Sony products in the UK are based on English law, so they wouldn’t apply to me up here in Scotland.

    • No mate, it’s per account, so people who buy new ARE punished. They can claim it’s a moral stand on somewhat shaky ground but it boils down to pure greed.

  4. I’m beginning to wonder if this’ll be like Socom’s Pro Pass?

  5. people keep defending these passes because they claim “the stores are making too much money off preowned sales”

    what about private sellers selling their own games?
    what about charity shops?

    if the stores are the problem why are they being punished?

    • aren’t? you mean. See above. It’ll be down to income. Shops would be able to fight them in court as the cost isn’t as prohibitive to them as it is to a member of the public.

    • i meant why are the private sellers and the charity shops being punished.
      i just worded that badly, i type quickly and sometimes things sound different in my head. ^_^

      but i agree, that’s why they don’t go after the stores, that and they know they rely on them.

      without the games stores they’re left with high street chains, and with whsmith pulling out of gaming and hmv possibly being in trouble that leaves supermarkets as their main point of sale.

      and we know supermarkets use their position to negotiate lower prices, they’ll do the same with games

      • You keep bring the words charity shops into this topic and I don’t understand what it’s got to do with anything!? I’ve never known a charity shopp to have a 2nd hand game section?

      • that’s funny, because almost every charity shop i’ve been in, and i’ve been in a few, has had games for sale.
        they don’t have dedicated games sections, but the games are there, with the dvds usually.

        i once bought a copy of half life 2, for pc, in one, i couldn’t play it of course because of the drm.
        that was my fault though, i should have realised, i decided to chalk that one up to experience and consider the money i paid a donation.

      • Ah but do they sell ps3 games? Highly doubt it as many people who own ps3 games are very unlikely to give them away to a charity shop when they can trade them in.

      • so now you care about those who can’t afford it?
        i thought if you couldn’t afford it you didn’t matter.

        for the record, i have seen ps3 games in charity shops.

        and what the hell does it matter if they’re ps3 games, ps2, ds, gameboy or bloody gizmondo games, the point is if you, illegally, prevent people from transferring ownership of THEIR PROPERTY, it will mean charity shops will have virtually nothing to sell.

        but hey, the publishers bottom line is more important than the fight against cancer isn’t it?

        and, hey i actually get to use this one against those defending the greed of the industry for once, what about the millions starving in the poorest countries in africa?

        should these greedy publishers be allowed to basically cripple many of these charities?

        but hey you’re well off though, if they can’t afford food, that’s their lookout right?

      • “so now you care about those who can’t afford it?
        i thought if you couldn’t afford it you didn’t matter.”

        I still stick by that, and I dunno what I said to make you think any different.

        Anyways youre talking about something completely different to me, I’m talking present day 2011 playstation 3 and psn plus…… I see wht point you’re trying to make but you’re making it so long winded and going of in all directions I don’t think you even know what you’re point is anymore?

        Sorry I’m being biased, ps3 gaming is my hobby, and with any hobby it’s a privilege and not a god given right. I pay, I play, I enjoy, I respect the companies that invest there time and money into producing products that I enjoy.

        Are you actually a gamer hazel ? As from what I can gather you’re more interested in just kicking up a fuss instead of enjoying this hobby you’ve decided to take up.

      • Off the top of my head Hazel, since the psn pass has revelled these are some of the topics you’ve managed to bring into it:

        – Something about what happened in the 1930s and 1980s?
        – Art galleries
        – Public libraries
        – Charity shops
        – 3rd world hunger?
        – Fighting cancer?

        And I don’t no what much of that has to do with anything

        Oh btw you’re say about fighting cancer? Folding on the ps3 ;0)

  6. Look, I for one don’t like the idea of an online pass in any form but I do understand it. Why do so many people ignore the benefits that this can bring to the whole gaming community? If people want patched, updated games with nice shiny DLC then what’s wrong with money going back to the service providers via a purchased code? PSN is free but in many ways isn’t as good as Live and that takes a hell of a lot for me to admit to that. If paying to use a games online features leads to a better overall service then I’m all for it. For the record I own both machines (90/10 split between XB & PS3 usage) and I work in a shop that sells a LOT of pre-owned games.

    • Sorry 90/10 PS3 to XB split!

      Making a point: FAIL

  7. Doing a bit more looking. Can’t find anything decent about SCEs financial reports, seems that it’s the Sony group as a whole that gets filed.
    But looking at EA and THQ, as they’re the others with the Pass’. $1.5billion was the cost of goods to EA, and that brought them in $3.6billion.
    As for THQ their costs were $626,049, which netted them $899,137.
    Take from that what you will. But to me that says they’re not losing money developing, publishing and distributing the games.

  8. I buy new so im in…

    • I buy new, I don’t have a Store, so I’m out ;)

  9. With the spiralling costs of game development, every extra bit of money that can be used for patches, DLC, server upkeep, or even developing the next game can and will be gotten.
    Publishers know that the RRP of games can’t really go higher, but the costs of those games will, so they have to make sure they get money from somewhere, otherwise plenty more studios will close.

    I think that a good compromise with online passes is if every game had a week-long free trial of the online services, or maybe an online level cap, and if you want to continue, you can cough up the €10 or whatever the pass costs on play on.

    • Or just buy new….. Everyones happy and no on can complain :0)

      • Haha, exactly, but we all know that’s going to happen, even if only ebay is left…

  10. I suck at multiplayer anyway. I only wish they wouldn’t make multiplayer related trophies, because if I want a plat than I’m forced to waste my time with something I don’t really enjoy. (and since I suck, its bloody hard)

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