If you’re interested in jumping online in Battlefield 3, then you’ll need to activate an online pass. The existence of such a code was confirmed in a strange way, through the use of a DICE employee’s Twitter account.
In response to a fan who asked if a new copy of the game was a necessity for online play, core gameplay designer Alan Kertz replied by stating the following:
“You can also purchase an online pass for a used copy.”
Later, he went into details regarding why the online pass exists, in response to another fan’s Tweet:
“Because servers cost money, and used games don’t make developers any money.”
This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. In fact, it’s been speculated that Battlefield 3 would use one. Now, I guess we have confirmation of that rumour. Unlike its predecessor, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (which used a pass to grant users extra online items and features,) the game will require one for all of its online interactions.