Responding at least in part to player response, Electronic Arts (EA) has officially discontinued its Online Pass program. According to an e-mail from John Reseburg, senior director of Corporate Communications for EA to GamesBeat, Online Pass is out as far as future titles go. Current titles, however, seem to still be asking for passes, and that has some concerned.

EA's Online Pass system required users to purchase a code from EA in order to access multiplayer and other online features of the games. While the game came with such a code new, for those who bought the titles used, another code would be required should the game's original owner already redeemed the code that came with the title. Several titles from EA were seen using the Online Pass system including EA's popular Madden NFL line of titles as well as Battlefield 3.

What killed the Online Pass service, according to Reseburg, was that only a handful of players were using it in the first place. EA was out to make Online Pass a way for gamers to open up the full range of online content and services, but most gamers weren't interested in picking up the options. Some have expressed belief that the idea of Online Pass is an early attempt at cutting off the used game market at the knees, a belief that dominated much of the early rumor cycles about the upcoming PlayStation and Xbox versions. Some studios reportedly joined in the action, like Activision (News - Alert) and Ubisoft, but now, EA is out of that particular market since the users just plain weren't interested.

It's good to see EA responding to customer criticisms. The company had previously won the dubious honor that was the "worst company in America" award twice from The Consumerist, so it may well be that EA is eager to not go for a third pass at this particular trough. But with SimCity's recent issues weighing heavily on the company, it may well have been that the decision to kill Online Pass was a conciliatory gesture as well, to keep gamers interested in EA products especially now that EA has the license necessary to make several Star Wars games. EA's going to be counting on those games to make big money, and if consumers are staying away from the company, it's not going to bode well for future sales.

The idea of consoles banning used games is one that's been around for some time, and scares a lot of users green. After all, even if buying used games isn't a big part of a gamer's overall media diet--which for some, it really isn't--many gamers enjoy having the option of renting games and keeping them only for a short time to try them out. Whether renting from a service like GameFly or from one of the local video stores that still carry game rentals, many gamers turn to such a service to find out if a game is worth buying or is just worth a little fun on the weekend.

Still, it's good to see EA taking an interest in what consumers have to say. That's a good way to stay in business, and even if this is just to keep the company's head above water; EA may be on the right track to regaining some lost customer loyalty. While only time will tell if this approach catches on or if this is only a momentary regression, the gamer market is being quite clear about what it wants and doesn't want.