It seems that those who purchase Crysis 2 pre-owned will not be penalised, as the upcoming FPS will not require an EA online pass for players to enjoy the game’s multiplayer components.
Being partnered with EA, Crytek were offered the chance to include the online pass in new copies of the game only but denied it. The reasoning behind this was supposedly due to the infancy of the online pass system at the time and so that console gamers experiencing Crysis for the first time would not be left out in the cold if they bought the game second hand.
Like it or not, second hand game sales are a huge part of our industry and Crytek have made this type of trade more acceptable through their decision to neglect the online pass. Cheaper multiplayer gaming for all it would seem.
Thanks to Gamertag radio for the info.