[drop2]couldn’t get any more ridiculous, I’ve just read today that they expire.

Yes – we’re reading that the codes that you get when you buy a brand new copy of game don’t last forever.

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You might think I’m being flippant, but this is ridiculous. According to the report on NeoGAF, you can still buy some games that are over a year old brand new, but when you get them home, tear off the wrapping and enter the code – it doesn’t work.

IT. DOESN’T. WORK.

I give in, I really do. Sure, some passes last longer than others, but in the case of Hot Pursuit, for example, the post suggests that if you were to buy it new the online section of the game will be out of bounds – the code in the box doesn’t appear to work.

I’m well aware than PSN promotional codes expire over time (as they do with most other such codes – iTunes promos generally only last a couple of weeks, for example) but online passes shouldn’t. They just shouldn’t.

And whilst I’m sure the publishers cover themselves with tiny disclaimers on the box – I don’t think this is nearly enough.

What do you think? Have you experienced this yourselves?

Source: NeoGAF, via IGN Forums.



Update: we’ve asked EA for comment regarding the Hot Pursuit codes.

Update 2: apparently this isn’t all that new. Thread here (and another here) on EA’s forums suggests this has been happening since the last couple of weeks.

Update 3: apparently phone support at EA aren’t fully aware of this, and hopefully they can work with Sony to get more codes out there that do work. We must stress that this will ultimately be an issue with most publishers and games, not just – in this instance – EA and Hot Pursuit. Recent online pass slips appear to have expiration dates on them.

Update 4: edited for clarity, removed the section regarding buying another copy from the Store until we can prove that they work fine too.

Update 5: EA have responded, although not to us. “EA’s Online Pass can indeed expire for some new games, blocking buyers out of online content until they download a new pass or attain one from EA directly”, EA confirmed to Joystiq. “As a rule, no Online Pass should expire, but a few titles will have a time limit on their use, even for new purchases. Dragon Age 2, for example, has an Online Pass that expires on March 31, 2012, according to EA’s EULA description. Re-downloading or getting a new Pass is free, EA said.”