Devil in the Details: EA's Gun Club

June 15, 2010

Yesterday EA announced the Gun Club, a rewards program that will give fans of its shooter games special perks like early access to betas, news, inside information from game developers, in-game content unlocks, and early access to demos. The program launched yesterday and begins with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and the Medal of Honor game.

EA says that this new rewards program shows appreciation to fans for their loyalty and adds value to the "entertainment experience."

At first glance you might think this whole program is free, and it is value-added if you buy EA's games new, but if you buy them new it will be a lot like BioWare's Cerberus Network. In short, if you want access to it from a used copy of EA's upcoming shooters it will cost you extra.

Here are the details from the "terms and conditions" section of the Gun Club FAQ:

What are the terms and conditions?

REQUIRES FULL RETAIL, NEW PURCHASE OF BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 (“BFBC2”) and MEDAL OF HONOR (“MOH”), WHERE THE OWNER HAS SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED THE VIP CODE INCLUDED IN THEIR COPY OF BFBC2 (ON PLAYSTATION 3 OR XBOX 360), OR PLAYED BCBC2 ONLINE IN A MULTIPLAYER SESSION (ON PC, WHERE USERS NEED NOT ENTER VIP CODE). OFFER NONTRANSFERABLE. REGISTRATION OF BFBC2 AND MOH WITH SAME EA ACCOUNT REQUIREDCUSTOMERS WILL RECEIVE EARLY ACCESS TO THE M24 MULTIPLAYER UNLOCK IN MOH AUTOMATICALLY WHEN PLAYING WITH THE SAME EA ACCOUNT AS USED FOR BFBC2. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. INTERNET CONNECTION AND EA ACCOUNT REQUIRED. EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON www.ea.com/2/service-updates. EA ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE CAN BE FOUND AT www.ea.com.

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Comments

Re: Devil in the Details: EA's Gun Club

Submitted by Dejiko on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 14:39.

This seems completely fine to me. After all, chances are that after a while those used games will already have someone registered in the gun club with them.

Re: Devil in the Details: EA's Gun Club

Submitted by DorkmasterFlek on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 07:53.

I think you mean "but if you buy them used it will be a lot like BioWare's Cerberus Network".

Re: Devil in the Details: EA's Gun Club

Submitted by killatia on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 07:39.

So gamers buying used games has to paid for VIP code to be part of the gun club while gamers that get the games new get in free? Dosn't seem any different from EA's current project $10.

http://www.magicinkgaming.com/

Re: Devil in the Details: EA's Gun Club

Submitted by nighstalker160 on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 08:57.

I disagree. There is a big difference from Online Pass. Online pass effectively cripples a used game, removing the ability to play multiplayer without a fee. Online Pass removes an existing feature of the game that was present at launch. Gun Club is a bonus for buying new. It doesn't effect your ability to play the game you've bought at all. It limits your ability for early access to betas and demos. I think this is fine, incentives for buying new are fine, crippling existing features of a game are not.

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Cecil475: @hellfire7885 - Makes me want to support Nintendo even more.05/24/2013 - 4:49pm

hellfire7885: Man, EA seems to be determined to destroy the Wii U ,and the evidently are so arrogant as to believe not making games for it will do that.05/24/2013 - 4:45pm

DorthLous: Pwahahahha http://www.destructoid.com/wii-u-sales-drastically-spike-after-xbox-one-presentation-254449.phtml#LlG8HEYbQj2krql5.0105/24/2013 - 2:23pm

james_fudge: she gets no credit until she employs some common sense. - 2 credits for her.05/24/2013 - 11:22am

Andrew Eisen: To Stender's credit, she did unmoderate my most recent comment within a day's time. There's even a couple other replies. None from her though.05/24/2013 - 11:18am

james_fudge: apparently gamers are all 14 - 21 years-olds living in basements according to her way of thinking...05/24/2013 - 11:11am

ZippyDSMlee: EZK: 0_o thier video card chipset is at the very least 3 versions behind the top PC video card.......05/24/2013 - 7:38am

MechaTama31: "You just wouldn't understand how my parenting preferences are more important than everybody else's freedoms."05/24/2013 - 7:37am

DorthLous: I love how she plays the "I'm a parent, you're a gamer, you couldn't understand" card... I'm a parent and I find her position despicable...05/23/2013 - 4:16pm

E. Zachary Knight: She didn't address your questions because she doesn't have any answers.05/23/2013 - 3:38pm

Andrew Eisen: I replied to her comment. Maybe in a few weeks I'll get a reply.05/23/2013 - 3:24pm

Thomas Riordan: @Andrew Eisen To what bowling alley does she go that puts sexual images in the faces of 6 year olds?05/23/2013 - 3:17pm

Andrew Eisen: Well, it took a month but Linda Stender finally replied to me... and didn't address a single one of my questions. http://aswlindastender.com/2013/04/23/follow-up-video-games-and-their-effect-on-children/05/23/2013 - 3:13pm

Imautobot: Also, from a tech perspective the PS4 is apparently already winning. http://bgr.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-vs-playstation-4-specs/05/23/2013 - 3:12pm

Imautobot: Sony's PS4 motto should be "We play games." Microsoft's should be "We play games, when we're not rewinding your tapes."05/23/2013 - 3:11pm

Andrew Eisen: Oh look, Dying Light was just announced For Everything But Wii U. That's 73.05/23/2013 - 2:06pm

james_fudge: Zippy: they said the same thing about Cell. How did that turn out.05/23/2013 - 1:28pm

Andrew Eisen: Need for Speed Rivals is coming out For Everything But Wii U - PS3, 360, PC, PS4 and Xbox One. That brings the grand total up to 72.05/23/2013 - 12:55pm

PHX Corp: http://wiiudaily.com/2013/05/microsoft-is-selling-the-wii-u-better-than-nintendo/ Wii U daily Opinion: Microsoft is selling the Wii U better than Nintendo05/23/2013 - 12:23pm

E. Zachary Knight: Zippy, they very well may be. But that will only last until they are released. At that time, they will be two generations behind.05/23/2013 - 11:14am

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