Kotick Wants Call of Duty Subscriptions "Tomorrow"

[the protaginist]

How would an MMOFPS based of Call of Duty even work? I can't see an MMO that's not Open-World, and Call of Duty would NOT work as open world.. Unless it was Special Ops esque missions that involve driving to your destination, but that wouldn't be Call of Duty, that'd be Farcry 2 with Co-op. And if it was just the standard "go to a menu, pick a game-type", you'd be charging them for what they already have!

This move makes no sense, and yet I can already tell it's gunna make boatloads of money.

 

[Anarien]

The thing that always bugs me about announcements like this is the fact they try to pin it to "customer request", as if we're all just sitting around here looking for new ways our wallets can get emptier.

Even if I disagree wtih the idea, I'd have a little more respect for them if they just said "Hey, we'd like to make a little more money". Because we can see right through all this customer service BS.

 

[Joshimodo]

Subscriptions fees for a crap game series?

What is this, 2004?

 

[Kalfira]

Community. It's time. After year and years of having Activision, Blizzard, Square Enix, even Sony online rub up against our trouser pockets to take more of our money it's time for us to rise up, it's time to fight! You will once again be fighting for our freedom... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from fiscal annihilation. We are fighting for our right to game. To exist. And should we win the day, this day will no longer be known as an video gamer holiday, but as the day we declared in one voice! We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

 

[Siberian Relic]

The guy who declared he'd be taking the fun out of video games is now telling us that his biggest franchise is going to start charging its players in exchange for "creativity"?

"We're going to charge you an arm and a leg for something that's going to be creative and new. *wink* Trust me."

 

[MDSnowman]

Wow, I sold my copy of MW2 like two weeks ago, it's looking like the best move I could have made. I couldn't afford the map pack, and knew more were coming. The idea of shelling out on a Monthly basis for a FPS that was boring me to tears is a non-starter for me.

In the short term Activision will likely make a little cash on this. There are enough CoD fanboys out there who will blindly pay up at least once that Bobby will rake in cash for a month or two, until another, similar, FPS comes out without a subscription fee, or they don't actually support the online community they're forcing to pay extra for their game.

 

[Sparrow]

Medal of Honour: 1

Kotick: 0

I think I know which shooter in the future now.

 

[GrinningManiac]

[HEADING=1]HA HA HAAA![/HEADING]

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play TF2!

 

[Schizzy]

In my country, Kotick sounds a lot like Kotek, which means dick...

 

[Playbahnosh]

Kotick also wants a unicorn, so hopefully he doesn't get anything, the rotten asscricket.

Asscricket - that's the first time I've ever heard that word and it's had me in stitches.

Asscricket! I never heard that one, I love it XD

OT: I think I will slowly but surely quit gaming. This, "let's ruthlessly extort the gaming crowd until we cause another Video Game Crash" is just stupid. I mean, you pay the full price for the game($60), then pay for DLCs(~$20), map packs(~$15), the online subscription(~$20/month) and the extra in-game items(~$20) too. That's a total of around $120 plus a monthly fee of $20. And that's only one game. My goddamn rent is lower than that.

No matter, after the second Video Game Crash, it'll be a bleak world for us...

 

[Therumancer]

Bad news all together, I'm not a CoD fan, but I've been waiting for someone to try and do this. The industry has become so greedy that it seems like the days of free multiplayer are over.

I can just see it now, you'll have to pay for internt, an X-Box Live (or other console specific) membership, and then a membership fee to each specific game.

As much as an addict as I am, that might be what causes me to quit gaming and find another hobby.

Truthfully I don't think a game like "Call Of Duty" can really support a persistant MMO type world. I also fail to see what kind of "improvements" could be added. I mean it's a FPS series, in the end the appeal it's it's zen-like simplicity: run around, aim your gun, pull the trigger. If they start making the game deeper than that, chances are it's going to alienate a lot of the twitch-obssessed fans.

Not my genere of choice, but I see this snowballing into a sitation where every game will have a subscription fee attached.

 

[tippy2k2]

There are a few assumptions I am going to be making here, but assuming they are correct, I seem to be one of the only people who is actually excited for the possibilities:

1. Activision run servers. Good God I can't count how many times I lose (and hell, win) because of one player being the host. That is the most infuriating way to get killed when I've gotten the drop on someone, put half a clip into their brain, had the bad guy turn around and stab my face, then find in the kill cam that I stood there like an idiot instead of firing. Even if there was lag, it would be universal for everyone so we'd all have that same handicap versus one God-mode player.

2. We pay $15 for map packs that come out, let's say every 4 months. I can't see this subscription being more than $5 a month and am assuming that the map packs would be included in that deal (again, big IF but I can't see them getting away with doing subscription AND map packs).

3. Maybe If I pay and complain enough, they'll remove the God Damn noob-toob from search and destroy. "Hey, we spawned, time to take one step forw *KABOOM*!" Or at least continue creating new modes now that it's gaining them revenue that take the damn things out.

 

[StriderShinryu]

It seems I'm in the minority here, but I fail to see why this is such a bad thing.

For those who are dedicated CoD fans.. you know, the ones who already play the games religiously and who will buy every map pack for years to come.. this probably is a very good thing. They might not end up paying any more than they do now for the map packs every couple of months and they get the potential of more perks and even more content. CoD may or may not work as an MMOFPS, but that wasn't even confirmed/denied in the article anyway. It could simply start as a delivery system to receive the new good stuff on a timely basis instead of buying it in DLC packs.

For those who are not dedicated CoD fans, or those who just hate Kotick and/or Activision, you wouldn't be paying it anyway. This service would, quite simply, not be for you. Is it all about money in the end? Absolutely, and there are some (many?) who would be willing to pay.

 

[cainx10a]

This guy makes Greed looks like a wimp. Unless of course, it's a full fledged CoD MMO, with real invasion of countries, PMCs running amok, real progression >.> Too bad that ain't happening.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

What was that, Medal of Honour? Oh yeah

Well, time to suit up for Medal of Honor, made by guys that are smart enough to realize gamers WANT TO PLAY GAMES - EA.

 

[That Eeyore]

Okay, I was all ready to poke fun at Bobby Kotick for thinking that gamers wanted to pay yet another extra fee to play Call of Duty online, insinuating that he was kinda missing the point, but after going through the article again, it's clear that it's a large, open world to play in that he's claiming gamers want.

Not much of a Call of Duty fan, though.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

Seriously, is anyone surprised by this? Activision is evil incarnate and Kotick probably ate Satan.

Sounds about right.

As if he didn't have enough money already, being head of a company with the rights to the most popular FPS ever...

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

ONWARD TF2, BATTLEFIELD, AND ALL FPS FANS WITH TASTE!!! AWAY FROM THE EVIL THAT IS KOTICK AND TOWARD THE PROMISED LAND OF VIDEO GAMES...

ANTI-ACTIVISION!!!!