14 DAY TRIAL // Sony has further elaborated on the limits and Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes that are imposed onto PlayStation 4 games, confirming that publishers won't be allowed by the company to add online passes into their titles.
Sony practically won E3 2013 earlier this week when its announcement that the PlayStation 4 will support used games and won't impose any limits or constraints was met with a huge approval from fans around the world.
Since then, the company has further elaborated on the actual things developers and publishers of PS4 games can do, with a statement yesterday saying that online passes that prohibit the access of used games to multiplayer can still be used.
Now, Sony's Scott Rohde has told Gamasutra that, in fact, the company won't allow third-party PS4 game developers or publishers to implemented online passes.
"We've already come right out and said we're not going to allow online pass. And the word 'allow' is key there. Specifically with online, with PS+ requiring a charge to play online, we would not want any publisher [to charge.]"
Access to the multiplayer of a PlayStation 4 game will require a PlayStation Plus subscription, so it seems that Sony doesn't want PS4 owners to feel like they're paying twice to access an online mode for a game.
"The way we are approaching this is that we want this to be extremely consumer-friendly, extremely retailer-friendly, and extremely publisher-friendly. My personal opinion is that it's hard for me to believe that any major publisher is going to put an extra set of used DRM onto game titles because that wouldn't put them in a good spot, right?"
Sony has confirmed that it's dumping the online pass system for PS4 games, and EA announced such a move a few weeks ago, so it seems that all PS4 owners who have used games will be able to access their online multiplayer, provided they have a Plus subscription.