Apr 20, 2011 21:41 GMT  ·  By

Video game publisher and hardware creator Sony has taken the 10 Dollar Project from Electronic Arts one step further, announcing that all those who pick up a used copy of its shooter SOCOM 4 will need to pay no less than 14.99 dollars in order to get access to some weapons and some multiplayer content which is included for free in new copies of the game.

The official name of the paid downloadable content is SOCOM Pro and it allows gamers to experience two exclusive weapons and to play four custom-made game types.

Sony says that all those who buy new SOCOM 4 should look for the redeemable code included with the game to get access to Pro.

The company also announced that the DLC would allow players to access game updates that will deliver “”exclusive multiplayer maps, various co-op additions, dedicated leaderboards, and lots more.”

Those who pick up used SOCOM 4 will be able to play the single-player campaign and a limited number of multiplayer games without any charge, allowing them to experience what the Zipper Interactive created game has to offer and whether they are interested in paying to get access to more.

Since the summer of 2010, Sony executives had been talking about including a fee for those who buy the game used, in an effort to make the new purchase more attractive to gamers in the long term.

Video game publishers say that they are losing a lot of revenue to the secondary used market and that they need to somehow monetize those players who do not directly pay the publisher and the developer for the gaming experience they get.

Electronic Arts introduced the 10 Dollar Project initiative last year and THQ also charge used game players for some content.

Gamers will probably protest against the 14.99 price point for the Pro DLC for SOCOM 4.