Activision to start charging for online Call Of Duty – and we have ourselves to blame
I never thought EA would be superseded as the biggest money-grabbing SoBs in the video game industry. But it’s happening, with Activision showing a capitalist streak that pushes all other thoughts to one side. Its latest idea? To start charging people to play its biggest franchises online. And there’s none bigger than Call Of Duty right now.
You’d think that upping the RRP of Modern Warfare 2 and selling millions of copies worldwide on a number of platforms would be enough for Activision. But no. First their CEO Bobby Kotick rakes in $20 million from the sale of company stock right after launch. And now it seems there are plans afoot to monetize the online experience.
According to IGN, during the BMO Capital Markets Conference, Activision Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl said:
It’s definitely an aspiration that we see potential in, particularly as we look at different business models to monetize the online gameplay. I think it’s been mutually beneficial, and you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some of some of our biggest franchises like Call of Duty.
Our gamers are telling us there’s lots of services and innovation they would like to see that they’re not getting yet. From what we see so far, additional content, as well as all the services Blizzard is offering, is that there is demand from the core gamers to pay up for that.
So we’re going to be charged for some elements of online gameplay in the future and it’s us gamers who are demanding it! Well I’m not, how about you? The business model of World of Warcraft works for that game, but that doesn’t mean it should be shifted to other titles as well.
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66 Responses to “Activision to start charging for online Call Of Duty – and we have ourselves to blame”
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November 16th, 2009
Oh they didn’t. As good as COD’s online is, I’m not paying for it. No way in hell.
November 16th, 2009
The scary part is that I’m sure there are people out there who actually would pay for this…
November 16th, 2009
I’m sure the xbots will find a way to claim this is only a problem for PS3 owners…
November 16th, 2009
I’ll pay for XBL and not worry about it.
Pennies a day. Big deal.
The rest?
Well, I got my MW2 for £26 – half the £55 or so Mike or Dave was telling us Activision were trying to up the prices to (regular full game prices in the UK range from £39.99 to £45) so I just don’t recognise your claim that they did any “upping the RRP of Modern Warfare 2″.
In view of the fairey tale I was told about what I’d have to pay for MW2 I’ll happily wait and see what actually transpires on the platform I most use.
If they are talking about charging for MW2 on PC (which with the WoW business model cited might be the case) then I don’t care.
Sucks to be into MW2 on PC I guess but I can’t see it being a big deal anayways whatever happens.
If you really like the game that much you’ll pay, if you do not then you won’t.
Market mechanisms, that’s how it works……or is gaming supposed to be operating in some sort of alternate ‘free everything every time’ universe?
November 16th, 2009
Not paying. No chance, Fuck ‘em. Money grabbing gits lol.
November 17th, 2009
LMFAO like i said before Bobby Kotick must be kill or fire. I’m not paying to play this shit online. And wtf if i pay for Xbox Live why would i have to pay extra to play this garbage. Too much greed can be a bad thing for business.
November 17th, 2009
idk why it seems every xbot are all for Activision. no matter how bad Activision fucks up, they always seem to back them up.
Im a huge RPG fan and a huge FF fan (owned every single FF game to date – except the crystal chronicles series) but I will never pay more than retail price for a game. I skipped on WoW and FF11 for the same reason.
I will never pay for online play or online services (XBL) when I can do the same somewhere else for FREE.
BTW Activision can suck my balls. Im glad I payed half price for MW2. them mofo aint going to see a single cent from me.
November 17th, 2009
Activision needs to rot in hell, in Satan’s asshole. You thieven son of a bitch!
November 17th, 2009
check out the new PS3 update (with Facebook)
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/11/playstation-3-firmware-v3-10-update/
November 17th, 2009
LOL @ Sega
November 17th, 2009
Guys, bad news. My grandfather just died, and I just found out. He will always be known as a great swearer. And all I looked forward to today was a copy of Demon’s Souls. Damn it, how do I handle this =’(
RIP Del 1925-2009 (at least I think it was 1925).
November 17th, 2009
Roca.:
Easy Call Of Duty is the game keeping Xbox 360 owners playing since Microsoft doesn’t do shit. We don’t defend Activision because we got more games we can play like UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time and God of War Collection plus more.
Bobby Kotick better be careful or he might just slip and have a fall he can’t get up.
November 17th, 2009
@roca
Actually u wont see xbox owners hating on any company whether its activision or Naughty dogs.. We dont hate third party studios who makes exclusives on ps3 and then shit on 360, XYZ cant run on 360 etc..
We understand its business as usual, they ain’t running a charity for ppl who cant afford gaming !!
November 17th, 2009
you seem to speak for everybody, did they selected you as their spoke person?
anyways……..no matter how you look at it’s getting ridiculous and Activision has been making stupid comments about exploiting their fanbase (milking franchises, up the price, lack of interest on new IP, and now pay to play their games). Im sure not getting raped by them.
its business but we should stand up and let them know there is life after CoD.
November 17th, 2009
“Actually u wont see xbox owners hating on any company”
I have seen Kev hate on Polyphony Digital. some of you hated on Guerrilla Games by saying KZ2 was all “smokes and mirrors” etc.
thanks for your input though
November 17th, 2009
a good example of capitalism…
November 17th, 2009
lets protest against Activision
November 17th, 2009
@ Saber,
Sorry to hear about that mate…
November 17th, 2009
@Saber
Sorry for your loss, dude.
November 17th, 2009
Thanks for the support people… I mean person (just jokes =P). I’m calming down now. The whole situation that was happening with him makes it extremely sad. His mind went before his body. I’m not looking forward to becoming old.
Boy, I sure appreciate things a lot more after events like this. Ah, life… what a bitch…
November 17th, 2009
@ Saber,
It does put things into perspective. It kinda makes all the e-pissing contests look silly.
November 17th, 2009
…exactly. This-or-that person’s opinion on a gaming console is the second last thing on my mind, only to food. Never before have I been so devoid of an appetite.
November 17th, 2009
I ought to be going to bed, probably not sleeping, but I’ll try. Been a bad day. Nighty-night, boys.
November 17th, 2009
@ saber..yea my grandma had alzheimers disease man…she couldn’t talk hardly and like din’t know what was goin on…sad stuff but im sorry for your loss
November 17th, 2009
Activision is trying to destroy the online and fan of the Call Of Duty by charging even more then they already getting away with. Lucky i won’t be in that web of crap, since i don’t support them never had.
November 17th, 2009
I am dying for a list war.. *rubs his groin expextedly against the mailbox” oh yeah, list war, yeah, YEAH!
November 17th, 2009
The sad thing is that most PS3 owners are sticking up for the “other console” on this subject (at least I am) about Activision and the 360 guys are to blinded by there fanboyism to see it. This shit with Act isn’t about one console or another they are hell bent on screwing ALL. This isn’t some sudden move on there part, they have been building up to this for awhile and it is only going to get worse. Most of the PS3 crew will sit here and talk shit about Act but as soon as MW2 hit you ran off and bought it like good little gamers just like ALOT of other people and the 360 crew did, essentially giving the nod to Act and telling them it’s ok to do what they are doing. So untill gamers start using there heads and wallets and quit rushing off to buy there newest release Act are going to keep doing what they do and they are going to take a little more each and everytime. MW2 aside there are a few other titles I would like to play when I am bored like Cabela’s Hunting game for one but I refuse to purchase anything Act made. I don’t care how good or so called popular it is going to be if it is Act then I wont buy it. But I am just one gamer and person. Sorry for the rant fellas lol
November 17th, 2009
As much as I was dying to pwn it, I won’t be bothering with DJ Hero. Scratch DJ is even up in the air, as the company is owned by activision now, anyhow.
There are enough stupid gamers to support these greedy fucks. Look how long it took AOL to die, as stupid people keep these sort of failures and exploits alive.
November 17th, 2009
JofaMang:
That’s why i don’t support them and my money goes to other company that deserve it. Also you get AOL free with Time Warner Cable Road Runner high speed service, i get EARTHLINK cable from Time Warner.
Ghost:
So true that’s why they will never stop this bullshit until sales go down. That’s how EA got a little better.
I would be wasting my money on MAG.
November 17th, 2009
@Saber.
Sorry about your gramps.
I still refuse to believe that any company would be dumb enough to do this. Even Activision. There’s a reason people pay to play WOW. It’s a MMORPG. the company has to run a server farm. COD games are P2P servers. We would be paying Activision to use our own consoles to run their game?
I’m sorry. I find this a bit far fetched.
No one…. I repeat No one should be defending Activision at all in this. They simply do not provide a service.
November 17th, 2009
I’ll bet they saw the petitions for dedicated servers and thought to themselves,”hey, they really want dedicated servers, lets sell them some!”
November 17th, 2009
u nailed it jofa but isnt that mainly pc gamers?
November 17th, 2009
Saber,
I’m sorry about your loss…
I still think Modern Warfare 2 is overated but at least its in 1080p.
November 17th, 2009
@twilight
MW2 is at 600p.
The only one higher than that is the PC version which is variable.
November 17th, 2009
Your right. I should have said its being upscaled to this resolution.
November 17th, 2009
“MW2 is at 600p”
MW1 was at 600p
IW = lazy devs
November 17th, 2009
Not even 720p wow lazy ass developers Activision is to blame for this crap.
November 17th, 2009
IW = scabby whores searching the pleates in their carpet for shards of crack, even though there is an 8-ball of blow on the table.
November 17th, 2009
Ivan can back me up on that one!
November 17th, 2009
lol
hey jofa does the Old Monk armor/outfit increase your magical power?
every PB that has invaded me with it seems to be using many magic spell on me (even fire spray) and they take a shit load of my health bar. its fucking ridiculous
November 17th, 2009
yes, it is like the insanity catalyst, double magic power, halves MP. With High magic power and MP, insanity catalyst, monk headpiece, and kris blade, you can damn near one-shot most people if you have the mana (and they aren’t wearing full dark silver).
November 17th, 2009
Yeah no shit I was wondering about that too. I even had one invade not only with the head gear but also those little color balls that float around it. Just like when you fight for the old monk.
November 17th, 2009
Yeah, that is a spell you can get after you defeat him and get his soul. It is pretty deadly. I use it to shame flamelurker (run sideways around him targetted, refresh Homing as needed, spice for mana)
November 17th, 2009
You people are really into the Demon’s Souls obsession. And RPG are usually so damn boring and geeky except Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Dark Cloud the PlayStation master pieces.
November 17th, 2009
RPGs have been around a lot longer, in a lot more variety, than just the PS brand of RPGs. If this game was for 360 I would own one already.
November 17th, 2009
fucking Black Phantom, I just wished they let you gear up before a BP invades your world. Im usually geared up for the boss but not for thoso BP mofos
November 17th, 2009
I’m feeling better now, but I’m taking a day off.
November 17th, 2009
Call Of Duty death date is coming soon thanks to the CEO.
Happy Birthday PlayStation 3
November 17th, 2009
Due to all of the negativity I refuse to purchase Call of Bullshit Modern We Steal Your Money 2 until the price is below $40 bucks now. DJ Hero is priced at $120 bucks (which is absolute horse shit).
And now MW2 is a lackluster product. Seriously what are these twats THINKING!!!??? Well I didn’t buy COD5 and now COD6 is walking over a thin line.
November 17th, 2009
The Future of Sega:
Call Of Duty is the next NFL Madden every year you get ripoff. Unless you own a Xbox 360 or PC piracy is huge but for the PS3 you gotta own the product kudos to Sony for that, sorry (Sony) about PSP LoL.
November 17th, 2009
Here’s a revolutionary idea – if you don;t like it, don’t buy it. Activision are a company, not a charity or public service. It is their duty to their stock holders to make as much profit (long and short term) as possible, whilst showing a degree of social responsibility. They will keep finding ways of generating revenue streams until it becomes unprofitable. The only way to stop them is to refuse to buy their product. Pretty simple really.
November 17th, 2009
Sabber,
Sorry to hear it man. I’ve gone through it 3 times myself (4th died before I was born).
The games will always be waiting for you. Take care of what is important now.
Good luck with everything.
November 18th, 2009
Rimmer:
Activision is not suppose to be charging people to play their mediocre hyped up garbage. The price is already too high.
November 18th, 2009
Ivan, the fact that they managed to break all sales records show that the price quite clearly isn’t “too high”. I personally wouldn’t pay ore than £35 for a new release, but if there are enough shmucks who will, then that is the price we will be facing from now on. As for free online play, don’t for one monment anyone is offering free play because they want to make players happy. Sony doesn’t offer free online play out of noble reasons, they do it because they have made the commercial decision to do so i nthe hope it will attract more users to buy the console and the games. if Activision think they can make more money by charging for online play and alienating some players than keeping free play, then it is their corporate duty to implement the charge. The only way they will stop this nonsense is if sufficient people refuse to pay, and they see their revenue drop. This is simple market driven economics. Nintendo had no reason to drop the price of the Wii as long as people were buying it in droves. As soon as their sales dropped significantly they then responded with a reduction. If people stopped paying for gold accounts on the 360 you can bet your bottom dollar that MS would scrap the subscription charge and find another way of creating a revenue stream.
November 18th, 2009
Rimmer:
The price is too high no matter if people stupid enough buy it. I don’t like the game so i won’t ever buy it. And only Activision would be sky rocking their games no one else.
November 18th, 2009
“Call Of Duty is the next NFL Madden every year you get ripoff.”
indeed
November 18th, 2009
@Rimmer
Everything you say there while being correct doesn’t stop our right to complain about it.
Your stance is like…if you don’t like the president move out of the country.
I don’t believe Activision is dumb enough to charge for online. For one, they don’t have any overhead for servers. They have no reason to charge people. We maintain the servers, not them.
If they did it would be a practice that no one else has done (aside from MMO’s but they have large servers).
The funny thing I seem to notice here is that if you are a Xbox fan you seem very defensive over Activision and when you’re a PS3/PC player you are opposed to their practices.
Theres really no reason for anyone to be supporting Activisions practices regardless of platform choice.
November 18th, 2009
phranctoast:
If you can can you elaborate more on the Call Of Duty servers. Is this similar to what we can do on Warhawk?
November 18th, 2009
COD servers are your own PS3/360. It’s set up in a way that you don’t know you’re the host unless your playing a private match.
Warhawk as far as I know is mostly run on dedicated servers. I don’t recall (haven’t played it in a while)if you can host your own server.
November 18th, 2009
“Warhawk as far as I know is mostly run on dedicated servers. I don’t recall (haven’t played it in a while)if you can host your own server.”
yes, you can create room and host games in Warhawk. the MAX number of player you can host depends on you connection. shitty connection allows you to host matches for 2-4 players or 4-8 players, if you have a good connection then you can host matches up to 24-32 players. similiar to Socom and KZ2
November 18th, 2009
I thought I paid for their online when I bought a 5 hour single player game. I really think this article has to do with PC gaming and getting them dedicated servers.
Rimmer,
I understand everything you just typed, and agree. However, to start talking about charging for online after I bought the game is Bullsh^t!!
November 18th, 2009
“I thought I paid for their online when I bought a 5 hour single player game. I really think this article has to do with PC gaming and getting them dedicated servers.”
touche
November 18th, 2009
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is less then 6 hours long wow people that bought that game for the story better sue Activision if you gotta for online then you did not get rob.
November 18th, 2009
The short camaign is why I lean heavy towards u2 taking most GOTY awards.
It already Has 9 nominations compared to 7 in the VGA’s on spike.
November 27th, 2009
So wait! They want us to pay for a game 3 times now! Once when u buy the game, then to play it online with friends(GOLD), and now they want to charge again!
This is absurd! These guys are getting too greedy!
December 18th, 2009
Well only a STUPID ASS would pay for it three times…erm (GOLD)…erm.
At least with PS3 you only pay once. Nana nana naaa na