Despite being published by the newly crowned "Worst Company in America", Electronic Arts, Fuse from Insomniac Games will not feature an online pass or any form of microtransactions. The studio revealed these details in a FAQ on the game's website, but astute gamers will remember that games published through the EA Partners program do not need to fall in line with the the practices employed in the publisher's own games.
Games like Mass Effect 3, developed by EA-owned Bioware, had an online pass. Games like Syndicate, developed by Starbreeze Studios, do not need an online pass because they're only being published by EA. The Fuse website says that players "should still buy [Fuse] new to support us because there are no microtransactions to make up for it, though."
Having had some hands-on time with the game, playing co-op with Ted Price at GDC, I can say with confidence that there's plenty of room for microtransactions, if the company wanted to include them, and that the online-multiplayer focus in Fuse would suggest a pefect online pass match. Still, now you can encourage your buddies to at least rent the game and try the online co-op with you.
Fuse has a demo headed to Xbox 360 and PS3 soon, while the full game will land at retail on May 28th. We'll have more on it as it nears release.
