Leave it to Activision-Blizzard to figure out a way to further milk the Call of Duty franchise. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the arrival of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will herald a new age of online gaming – but for all the wrong reasons. This fall, when players boot up the next installment in the mind-numbingly popular shooter, they will have the option of shelling out a few dollars more each month for “exclusive content” including map packs not available on the retail disk. Activision-Blizzard has created a premium service that will give subscribers “more features” that enhance their CoD experience. While the final list of features has yet to be enumerated upon, Activision-Blizzard has confirmed the aforementioned map packs, as well as “player tools” that will give CoD enthusiasts the ability to track their performance across their career with excruciating detail (exactly like the stat-tracking service Bungie provides for Halo, except, you know, not for free). Note: This stat-tracking feature may be part of a package of free features that will arrive upon the launch of MW3 – the WSJ article is a bit vague.
The service will launch with MW3, but will become a mainstay of the franchise from there on out. No final price has been announced, but WSJ reports that Activision-Blizzard
“expect the cost to be less than fees for comparable online-entertainment services, such as a $7.99-a-month Netflix Inc. movie subscription.”
I’m definitely interested in seeing players’ reactions to this service. CoD fans are known for their fanatic devotion to the shooter, so it should be fun to see how they support this maneuver. As with all major Activision-Blizzard press releases, Bobby Kotick chimed in with his signature brand of cockiness, with the WSJ reporting:
“[Kotick] isn’t worried about pushback from gamers about the Call of Duty Elite fee because players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service. While he is coy about many of the offerings that will be included in the service, Mr. Kotick said Call of Duty Elite, and the customer-service operation that will be needed to support it, wouldn’t be possible if the service was free. “This is an enormous investment,” he said.”
Check back with Comic Booked for further developments on the story.
Tags: Activison-Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, Call of Duty, Elite Subscription, Modern Warfare 3
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Written by Kyle Black
From the Infinity Ward debacle to this, it’s like Activision is trying to shoot this franchise in the back. And I have to ask. Am I the only one who flashes back to their half-hearted attempts at Guitar Hero DLC when Kotick promises “an enormous investment”?
lmfao, that’s why GH is now an officially “dead and buried’ franchise. CoD is on the chopping block because Kotick wants to run it into the ground.
Yeah, pretty much. The man has no concept of how to maintain an IP.
I know a LARGE amount of people that I think will gladly pay a nominal fee to shoot only the best of the best. I agree that this will be a terrible move but I also agree that beanie babies should have never sold for more than a dollar. It’s hard to tell what people will and won’t support.
Well to be honest Black Ops was a huge step backwards and as I only used a knife in MW2 the game was ruined for me. Hopefully they will reinstall Commando and tactical knife! That said I’m very frugal so would not splurge out for extra content. Those days have gone since I stopped playing WoW, buying gold is illegal!!!
Pass. Such an obvious grab for cash. That being said, I have no doubt people will flock to this in droves.