PAY to PLAY Call of Duty online?

As part of its latest analyst gathering in the US, publisher Activision Blizzard has said that the number of hours ploughed into games such as Call of Duty 4 online is a business opportunity the company can’t ignore. Plus, the firm also sees online premium content as a way of tackling the pre-owned games issue.
“We see strong opportunities to monetize online gameplay,” Activision’s publishing CEO Mike Griffith stated, according to Edge Online. “The average Call of Duty player has spent nearly five full 24-hour days of their lives online since purchasing the game. Over time, we'll qualify more opportunities to increase the monetization of these activities. “Continuing to engage consumers online with Call of Duty 4 is a large part of the reason you still see the title selling for $59.99 in stores and the absence of any used games in the market for Call of Duty.” Griffith also added that his firm has plans to up the money it can make from the online element of the upcoming Call of Duty: World at War, which is being developed by Treyarch.

Cropolite wrote:I think COD4 is quite bland and boring online - so no.

suzzopher wrote:No chance.

Mockmaster wrote:They're not actually saying you'd be charged to play it. In that quote, anyway. They're saying they'd find ways to maximise income. Such as with downloadable content I presume?

Pancake wrote:Slightly off topic (doesn't seem worth creating a new topic over), but didn't Nintendo announce some 'pay and play' system or something? What ever happened to that? Has it been mentioned since?

Activision raked in millions in sales with 2007's Call of Duty 4, but the publisher sees more opportunities beyond the retail box with the upcoming sequel.

"We ... see strong opportunities to monetize online gameplay," said Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith during an analyst day on Monday. "The average Call of Duty player has spent nearly five full 24-hour days of their lives online since purchasing the game.

"Over time, we'll qualify more opportunities to increase the monetization of these activities."

Infinity Ward-developed CoD4 has paid downloadable maps available on digital storefronts, but with CoD5, developed by Activision studio Treyarch, downloadable content will be a considerably bigger priority.

Griffith added that Activision "plans to increase online monetization" with CoD5, offering "3x the amount of content available for download and premium content called 'Day One Advantage.'"

Strong support for online aspects of games also drives retail sales, he said.

"Continuing to engage consumers online with Call of Duty [4] is a large part of the reason you still see the title selling for $59.99 in stores and the absence of any used games in the market for Call of Duty," said Griffith.

CoD4 has sold 11 million units to date.

Griffith also said he expects CoD5 to be "Treyarch's highest-quality game ever."

As for CoD6, he confirmed that Infinity Ward's next game is slated for 2009.

Mockmaster wrote:They're not actually saying you'd be charged to play it. In that quote, anyway. They're saying they'd find ways to maximise income. Such as with downloadable content I presume?

Legends wrote:Traditionally RPGs like World of Warcraft & Final Fantasy XI use the MMO business model which is a monthly subscription. There is no reason why a company couldn't use this with other genres of game eg Call of Duty 6! If every magazine is raving that it is the best FPS game ever would you not even consider a £4.99 monthly subscription? If most buyers paid for just 3 months then the publisher has doubled their revenue! Voting with out money will determine whether this works or not. Look at the Bad Company DLC fiasco.

Legends wrote:

Mockmaster wrote:They're not actually saying you'd be charged to play it. In that quote, anyway. They're saying they'd find ways to maximise income. Such as with downloadable content I presume?

Traditionally RPGs like World of Warcraft & Final Fantasy XI use the MMO business model which is a monthly subscription. There is no reason why a company couldn't use this with other genres of game eg Call of Duty 6! If every magazine is raving that it is the best FPS game ever would you not even consider a £4.99 monthly subscription? If most buyers paid for just 3 months then the publisher has doubled their revenue! Voting with out money will determine whether this works or not. Look at the Bad Company DLC fiasco.

Drunken_Master wrote:Activision are a bunch of wankers, they should have made the map pack free for COD4 by now. The fact that they're still CHARGING for the COD2 map pack shows what jokers they are, compare this to the attitude of EA/ Criterion and Burnout Paradise, or MS/ Bungie and Halo 3.