EA released both UFC and FIFA with online passes allowing their customers free access to Xbox live and PSN. Rumor has it that Warner Bros. is planning the same move with their upcoming reboot of Mortal Combat.
Joystiq got their hands on an internal email intended for retailers that claims such a move is in the works, but Warner Bros. is tacit on the reports and appears to be wanting to keep the whole online pass free for all a secret. They haven’t mentioned it at all in their pre-release marketing and most surprisingly it’s not even on the game packaging. Which leads me to wonder if this is a Willie Wonka style gimmick in the works. Next thing we’ll hear a kid named Charlie who used to sleep in a bed with a bunch of geriatrics from England, is the new Executive head of Warner Bros. I may be off a bit.
The online pass is a one-time use registration code that unlocks online play for free that would otherwise cost 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live or $10 on PSN. It’s also rumored that Warner Bros. will be pursuing this tactic on future releases such as Batman: Arkham City and the much anticipated threequel FEAR 3.
We will of course have to wait and see if the rumor mill is true, either Warner Bros. will the confirm the story or we’ll have to wait until the game is released on April 19, 2011 to have our answer. I’m tacitly crossing my fingers that my Willie Wonka theory is true and I may just have to buy thousands of copies just in case.