EA’s Online Pass scheme has now become an everyday part of gaming, with those who purchase the game new getting a code to play online and those purchasing the game pre-owned having to buy the Online Pass from the marketplace allowing EA to reap some profits from the second-hand market. But let’s not get into that argument.

But many gamers have purchased their shiny new copy of Battlefield 3 to discover that their Online Pass code isn’t working, but if you’re expecting EA to immediatly provide you with a new code then you’re out of luck as EA have responded to the problem with this:

“We are aware of the invalid code issue and we apologize for the inconvenience. Since certain retailers are affected by this issue, please check with the retailer where you purchased Battlefield 3 in order to receive a replacement code.”

Of course this doesn’t help should the store you bought the game from not have any codes to give, or if you bought it from an Ebay reseller etc. Ah well, there’s always the singleplayer, right? Right?