Online Pass availability on Dirt and GRID games, server shutting down *UPDATED*
Hello fellow EA community. I write this post due to several issues regarding these Codemasters "legacy" games. Recently it was known that various Dirt and GRID games are going to be shut down on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, including: Dirt 3, Grid 2, Grid Autosport and Dirt Showdown on March 2026.
But this comes with two problems:
1st problem: The Online Passes or also known as "VIP Passes", are no longer available on those storefronts. Well, ofc, the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 is already gone, so unfortunately is no longer there. But on PlayStation Store, they're not. And they haven't been for a long time since Codemasters (when still independent prior to EA acquisition) delisted them.
2nd problem: The codes on physical copies, including brand new, sealed copies of the game were made expired, meaning that they're useless nowadays, even if it had a expiration date of 2027 to put an example.
Similar to the massive shut down of the old F1 Codemasters games back in 2023-2024, Codemasters support stated persistently that the online passes couldn't be sold again because of "licensing issues". The thing, is the online pass are just a single use token that grants users access to online features. They don't grant access to Ferraris or Citroën cars, which is mistakenly thought so by Codemasters support guys. The "licensed content with issues" would be those DLC vehicles or circuits, but not a online pass. I mean come on.
This is a post made with the intention of asking Codemasters or EA if they can reinstate, at least for one last time those online passes onto the PlayStation Store, or make these codes on brand new copies redeemable and possible to use. I expect the same "licensing issues" answer, or that "PlayStation 3 Store infrastructure is old and this content cannot be added again".
Hoping a sooner answer or clearance about this information.
UPDATE, 23 September 2025:
Hello again, I come to edit this thread because now EA, on the name of hypochrisy has fast forwarded the closure of the servers to november of this year. The original meant dates for March 2026 have been forwarded to November 2025. This is absolutely stupid. If you stated that they were closing on March 2026, then THAT'S THE DATE THEY MUST CLOSE. But instead, seemingly because I'm the only guy asking for the online passes availability, you probably said "Yeah, this guy's asking for things we aren't gonna add again, let's move the closure dates for the sake of money and let the PS3/Xbox 360 die already".
It's a shame that NOBODY from Codemasters or EA it's able to reply to one single discussion where a user KINDLY ASKS FOR A ONLINE SERVICE THAT SEEMS YOU DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT. At this point just add the online passes back again to the PlayStation Store on PS3 and stop being like that, stop making online trophies/achievements unobtainable because of single-use online access tokens that cannot be get anymore, honestly, because this is hypochrisy at level 99 percent. Just because you thought, "Oh, March 16 2026 it's too much time", yeah sure. Listen to the community once for God's sake.
