Publisher THQ has announced that the multiplayer component of UFC Undisputed 2010 will require a single-use code included with the game.
Players buying used copies will have to pay $5 (£3.50 approx) via the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace.
The move is the latest curveball thrown by game makers at the seemingly unstoppable used games market, recently described by Blitz Games cofounder Andrew Oliver as “a much bigger problem than piracy” on console.
Others include Mass Effect 2’s Cerberus Network, an ongoing DLC programme which binds each copy’s serial number to a unique player account; a similar service for Battlefield: Bad Company 2; and Sony PSP game SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3, which charges pre-owned players $20 for an online code. The imminent Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, furthermore, introduces the similarly prohibitive EA Sports Online Pass.