Online Pass Games No Longer Safe As EA Shuts Down More Servers

written by BiG DaH

Here we go again…

While most of us are still a bit annoyed at the last round of server killing that took place just months ago, EA has taken to it’s data centers once again and is shutting down yet another bunch of servers.

However, this time it’s a little different..

To explain a bit… you know how EA has come out with that whole Online Pass thing where you have to pay extra to be able to play your game online if you buy it used? But you know, since you’re paying extra for it, you think “Oh well, at least I know they’re not going to kill this games servers too..” Yeah, well, about that…

For the first time since EA has gone on it’s server killing crusade, they are including a game that used the Online Pass system. That game is EA Sports MMA, a Mixed Martial Arts game similar to what Fight Night is to boxing. Sure, it may not be a huge title that everyone plays, but at the same time, consider these things:

1) Released on Oct 19th (U.S.) and Oct 22nd (Everywhere else) 2010- Barely a year and a half old

2) Game Informer gave it 8.5 out of 10 along with most other reviews coming in at the higher end of the rating spectrum

3) One of the only games to feature a “cross platform” scenario – “Live Broadcasts” which could be viewed from a PC or console

So basically, here’s a perfectly fine middle of the market game that I can imagine a number of people still enjoying given it’s only a year and a half old, then taking into consideration the ratings it got, then add in the cross platform audience, I really am having a hard time understanding why this one is going down also.

I’m sure EA has it’s own statistics or reasons, but since I can’t just sit and take a news story at face value, I did a little extra digging and found some interesting information that might shed some more realistic light into onto the subject, check this out…

(Source: Wikipedia)

“UFC president Dana White has declared himself “at war” with EA over the development of the EA Sports MMA video game. According to White, the UFC had hoped that EA Sports would pick up the publishing rights to the UFC’s video game license, but EA Sports declined. White remarks, “EA Sports told us, ‘You’re not a real sport. We wouldn’t touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this.’” The UFC instead partnered with THQ to develop UFC 2009 Undisputed. “We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world,” White told reporters in July 2009. “We go out there and do this thing, and it’s successful, and now God-damn EA Sports wants to do a video game^.“

Ah ha! So the President of the UFC called EA out for essentially encroaching on MMA since EA had apparently previously made some kind of indication that they weren’t at all interested in MMA and called it a non-sport, giving the UFC a monopoly in “their” area of the sports games market, but then EA turns around and releases EA Sports MMA?

OK, I could easily see how that could seriously piss someone off considering that it would be a complete move of dickbaggery to do such a thing. It would also explain how there could be more to this specific game’s server being shut down than just lack of interest in the game.

EA’s response?

(Source: Wikipedia)

“In response to these allegations, EA Sports have since claimed that Dana White held a meeting with EA in Los Angeles, who are responsible for such games as The Sims; a separate entity from their EA Sports brand. Additionally, the fact that EA Sports began development of EA Sports MMA before UFC 2009 Undisputed was initially released led credence to the notion that the development of EA Sports MMA was not reactionary.”

I see… so basically, Dana White met with the “wrong department” or something? OK, that’s fine, but would anyone like to let us all know what this meeting was supposed to be about? Was it about an MMA game? If so, why was Dana White meeting with a non EA Sports part of EA? Something seems a little off.

Also, this is an interestingly worded part of the above EA response:

“the fact that EA Sports began development of EA Sports MMA before UFC 2009 Undisputed was initially released led credence to the notion that the development of EA Sports MMA was not reactionary.”

I don’t know about you guys, but what I see here is that EA started developing their MMA game before UFC’s was even released, which tells me that EA could have easily gotten wind of the game being developed and decided to start developing their own to compete with it.

No part of that statement tells me that EA is innocent in this and did not intentionally create a competing game after Dana White met with EA’s “wrong department” or whatever you want to call it.

Bottom line is, EA is a corporation, corporations that large generally have certain systems, methods, communications, and divisions dedicated to game types (just as they pointed out about EA Sports being different than whoever Dana White met with), etc… so I find it very hard to believe that the president of the UFC had a meeting with any EA company and somehow EA Sports didn’t hear a single word about it… sure…

At any rate, what we can really take away from this is that it appears EA is potentially killing off this server due to complications surrounding this matter and perhaps that’s why a game with an Online Pass is being cut, instead of any of the initial reasons we may have been thinking like “too few players” or something.

As for the rest of the games being fitted for cement shoes on April 13th 2012, here’s a complete list below:

* BOOM BLOX Bash Party – Wii
* Burnout™ Revenge – Xbox 360
* EA Create – PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
* EA Sports Active 2.0 – PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
* EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp – Wii
* FIFA 10 - PlayStation Portable and Wii
* The Godfather™ II - PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
* MMA – PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
* Need for Speed™ ProStreet – PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
* The Saboteur™ (loss of The Midnight Club access) – PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
* Spare Parts – PlayStation 3 Xbox 360

I’m guessing the rest of the games in the list (minus FIFA 10 maybe) fit EA’s description of being some of the least played games they have out there, but for those of you who loved them dearly for any reason, you have our sympathy.

So what do you think about EA shutting down these servers?

Share your comments with us below!