Activision CEO teases ''online world'' for Call of Duty

[Jos]

With Lucas Arts and Interplay readying their Star Wars and Fallout MMO titles, respectively, could Activision's Call of Duty franchise be next in line? The company has flirted with the idea in the past, as it looks at different business models to monetize online gameplay, and if recent comments from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick are any indication then a Call of Duty subscription based game could indeed be in the cards.

His comments were made in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, when asked what he would change about his company if he could make it happen with a snap of the fingers. Kotick mentioned the impressive response Call of Duty has received on platforms like Xbox Live, with around 1.7 billion hours of multiplayer gaming, and said an online subscription service for the franchise could really satisfy bigger audiences "with more inspired, creative opportunities."

He didn't get into details of how such an online world would work, so we can't say for sure if it's all wishful thinking, or if such a project is actually in the works. The company recently revealed it gets around 70% of its operating profit from non-console-based titles, which could be seen as a sign that they'll try to bring more of its properties to PC-based online models. When you consider the majority of that figure likely comes from the 11.5 million World of Warcraft players paying a $15 monthly fee, the idea of Activision spreading this model to other popular franchises sounds even more plausible.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/39399-activision-ceo-teases-online-world-for-call-of-duty.html

 

[TomSEA]

Hmmm....not so sure about a MMO FPS based on Call of Duty - or any other war shooter. It's already been tried with Planetside and that turned out to be pretty much a dud. A successful MMO incorporates a lot more than just shooting - crafting, diplomacy, farming, lore, questing, gambling, etc. That's why they're successful. People find a niche and run with it. A shooter is just a shooter. I could see where you could incorporate some facets on a small scale of a traditional fantasy/sci-fi MMO into a shooter MMO, but I don't believe enough to keep anyone's interest for longer than 2-3 months.

We'll just have to see what kind of model they come out with...

 

[dummybait]

how would this even work with this type of game??? let the consoles have this one....

 

[Guest]

this guy bobby is out of control. so making a huge amount of money on sales of a game isn't enough. now they want to charge you after you buy the game. if i'm not mistaken, most people complained about the map stimulus packs that activision released. so "more inspired, creative opportunities" really just sounds like bs\money. they've already, in a way, raised the price of pc games to $59.99. so now you have to buy the equipment, pay for the overpriced games, then pay for online service. also, it seems like the companies don't want you to own the games you purchase either. i love video games but as a matter of principal and the fact that i can't afford all of this stuff, i might just quit. good job bobby.

 

[Guest]

I won't be feeding this ca$h cow.

 

[RuskiSnajper]

Don't care for Activision and their games anymore.

 

[Guest]

There releasing new cods every year anyway, if they could maintain the quality of the game by upgrading it as we play it could work out well. e.g. patching and including new content for the price we pay and cheaper expansions that increase the worth of the game. It's pretty much the same as buying a new guy once a year anyway cept you get the benefit of upgrades as you play. Plus it would be sick to start off noobie and work you way up to a battlefield and have mass pvp battles and options with 1v1 or 2v2 area style play like mmo's. Anything that expands the game to make it better is good for gaming.

 

[Guest]

expansions and patches can only last "so long". and people always seem to complain about the cheesiness of call of duty, yet activision still makes the most money(of course other companies follow them).

"options with 1v1 or 2v2 area style play like mmo's" ...lol. talk about cheesy.

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

I miss the days when these companies actually tried to hide there greed! I doubt someone paying for online (360) would on top of that pay another bill(unless there rich or crazy.) There profit on Modern warfare release was huge..epic huge. They made a ton of money but thats not enough, there greed will be there downfall

 

[yukka]

Planetside wasnt a dud - lots of people played it for a long time even though the game model meant it never really "ended" and they are working on another version currently. It hasnt lasted but then its an fps and they rely on realism through graphics and after a while it looked less flashy. Still remember flying with my fighter squadron to take out the BFRs Good times.

I have already pretty much given up on COD - the crappy map pack for 11quid with 2 old cod4 maps for mw2 is just ridiculous. Battlefield:Bad Company 2 has the right idea with the Vietnam expansion - they can charge double for that and it would still be value for money. At least you are paying money for decent effort.

 

[TomSEA]

I called it a dud yukka in the sense that player populations were extremely low in comparison to other MMO's. It's not even listed in the top ten. Might have been a great game for some such as yourself, but it is nowhere near considered a MMO success story. And I believe that has to do with it being a shooter MMO.

http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/mmo/articles/35992.aspx

 

[Docnoq]

yukka said:I have already pretty much given up on COD - the crappy map pack for 11quid with 2 old cod4 maps for mw2 is just ridiculous. Battlefield:Bad Company 2 has the right idea with the Vietnam expansion - they can charge double for that and it would still be value for money. At least you are paying money for decent effort.

Every time I load up Steam and see them advertising new MW2 map packs for $15, I laugh and pat myself on the back for avoiding that disaster of a game.

And no, DICE does not have the right idea with the Vietnam expansion for BC2. When BC2 was released, DICE was taking shots left and right at Activision for the way they handled MW2.. the lack of dedicated servers, charging for maps, etc. And then when it gets down to it, the only 'maps' DICE has released are different game modes for the current maps that have been in since the game was released.

And now, while the hit reg and the knife in the game are beyond broken, they announce they are making an expansion that they will charge $30 for and only include 4 new maps. So.. DICE bashes MW2 for charging for maps yet the only ACTUAL new maps they are releasing for the game will cost $30. Hah. The only thing this expansion will accomplish is splitting the community the way SF did with BF2.

tl;dr - DICE is just as greedy as Activision but not as obvious about it

 

[Guest]

activision why dont u just light a millions of dollars on fire pretty much its the same thing as making
another payment for games who suggested this i hope to god u read this if u think the cod communitys
going to fall 4 this think again. use gamers will allways have the last laugh

one solution fire the stuiped sob know so theres no more retarded suggestions