Customer Support

EA Game Authorization Management

Overview

Certain EA PC games with SecuROM and/or Solidshield digital rights management technology allow users to concurrently "authorize" up to a certain number of computers at the same time to play the games. Users can then play the game on any authorized computer they choose. If your EA PC game was released after May 2008 and has a machine authorization limit, you can manage your computer authorizations using EA De-Authorization Tools!

Once de-authorized, a machine "slot" will be freed up and can be re-used on another computer. De-authorization does not uninstall the game, however, so if you decide you want to re-authorize your computer later, all you have to do is re-launch the game while you are connected to the Internet.

Game Specific De-Authorization Tools

To take advantage of the de-authorization tool, click the game you want to de-authorize your computer for from the list below to download the game-specific de-authorization tool or obtain instructions on using the in-game de-authorization tool where available.

EA De-Authorization Management Tool

If you are not sure which games you have on your computer, certain EA PC games released after May 2008 with machine authorization limits can be found using the EA De-Authorization Management Tool. This tool: (a) scans your computer to determine whether certain EA PC games released after May 2008 with SecuROM machine authorization limits your computer has been authorized to play; and (b) tells you how many computer authorizations you have available for each detected game. If the tool detects games authorized to play on your machine, you can then seamlessly click the button "de-authorize this computer". This will initiate the download of the game-specific de-authorization tool(s) or provide instructions to use an in-game de-authorization tool to de-authorize your computer for whichever game(s) you choose. Once de-authorized, a machine "slot" will be freed up and can be re-used on another machine. De-authorization does not uninstall the game, however, so if you decide you want to re-authorize your computer later, all you have to do is re-launch the game while connected to the Internet. Keep in mind that this tool can only detect certain EA PC games with machine authorization limits. Check the list of games above to ensure that there are no other EA PC games on your machine that you would like to deauthorize.

To access and download the EA De-Authorization Management Tool, click here.

De-Authorizing Pogo Games

Some Pogo games use Product Activation technology. Product Activation is a solution to authorize your legitimate application at an online Product Activation Server. This process ties a unique license to the machine you are using.  Usually this is only required at first launch of the application. Deauthorization is the process of giving back a used license to the Product Activation server. The precondition to successfully deauthorize is that the game was authorized on the PC before and the license stored in the registry is intact.

Example: Your application has a limit of 5 simultaneous activations. After an online activation on the Product Activation server, the application can be used on this PC and four activations are left for this serial number. In case this active license is revoked, the application cannot be used on this PC any longer (until a new online activation), leaving five activations for this authorization key to be used on different PCs.

How can I deauthorize my application? Product Activation provides two possibilities to deauthorize your game.

- Deauthorize during uninstall: By uninstalling your game the license is given back.

- Command line instructions (for technical persons): Call the applications executable with the parameter "/revoke".

De-Authorizing PopCap Games

Some PopCap games use Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. DRM is a solution to activate a unique license for the application on your computer. In most cases, your application has a limit of 5 simultaneous activations. So, after one online activation, the application can be used on that computer, leaving four activations available for use on other computers within your household. Please visit the PopCap Support Site for more information on de-activating your application.

Need more help?

For more information on EA's De-Authorization Tools click here. If you have questions or need help, contact Customer Support.

End User License Agreements

To view the EA De-Authorization management Tool End User License Agreement that governs your use of the tool, click here. To view the game-specific de-authorization tools' End User License Agreement that governs your use of that software, click here.