Fri, Jul 16, 2010 | 13:17 BST

Activision needs to start charging for Call of Duty online, says Pachter

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Michael Pachter’s told IG that the industry needs to start thinking of adding subscription models to its multiplayer experiences – with Activision and Call of Duty leading the charge. No doubt big Bobbo will be pleased to hear that.

Following last night’s NPD results, which showed a 6 percent US sales drop year-over-year, the Wedbush Morgan analyst said it’s time publishers starting looking at plans to monetise online play.

“We think that the overall decline was due to a very large number of people playing multiplayer online games for free on PlayStation Network, and for an annual fee with unlimited game play on Xbox Live,” said Pachter.

“We estimate that a total of 12 million consumers are playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for an average of 10 hours per week on the two platforms’ respective networks, and the continued enjoyment of this game (along with an estimated 6 million Halo online players, 3 million EA Sports players, and 5 million players playing other games, such as Battlefield, Red Dead Redemption, Left 4 Dead and Grand Theft Auto) has sucked the available time away from what otherwise would be spent playing newly purchased games.”

He added: “We see this as a continuing problem, and think that unless and until the publishers come up with a business model that appropriately captures the value created by the multiplayer experience, we are destined to see a migration of game playing away from packaged goods purchases and toward multiplayer online.

“We think that it is incumbent upon Activision, with the most popular multiplayer game, to take the first step to address monetization of multiplayer. It is too early to tell whether that will be a monthly subscription, tournament entry fees, microtransaction fees, or a combination of all three, but we expect to see the company take some action by year-end, when Call of Duty Black Ops launches.”

Modern Warfare 3 – £9.99 a month to play online, £30 for a yearly sub.

More through the link.

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69 comments

Older Comments

#51

OlderGamer
16/07/10, 4:42 pm

Well if not this then something like it.

Wait for 90usd games at retail. 70usd if you don’t want to play online.

Same difference. Anyway you look at it the industry is going to try to milk your wallet. Online Pass, sub fee or whatever.

As for CoD, wait for it – online exclusive – XBGold Live Only. Ms could work out a deal that kicks back to Acti w/o charging you the gamer extra. Why would they do that?

Don’t they already?

Bought exclusive windows. CoD MW3 on xbLive in 2012, 2013 on PSN. Anything like that. Could happen.

Also I figure EA could get away with this one if they had a brain. EA Total Sports Online, 50usd/year, includes online play, DLC, and yearly updates – you buy the new games, plug in the code inside, the game gets added to your subscription/account.

One way or another they will find your money.

I hate to sound like…well like me I guess, but I have drasticly reduced the amount of games I buy. I mean like through the floor. Once upon a time I used to avg 300+/month.

Now it is a game here or there. Mostly I buy digital stuff PSN/XBL/Steam. More value there to be honest. I only need one MP fps(thats BFBC2 for me), I am playing outdated sport games(why get a 60usd updated version of last years game), and I have one game in my fav genere(when a new game comes out I think – is this better then what I already have), and I buy said DD games.

Basicly what i am saying is that I look for value.

For me paying Acti to play CoD has no value. I do however pay Acti-Blizz to play WoW. That has tremendous value, for me.

What is worth it to the gamer is going to be unique to said gamer. I bet G1GA would consider paying 30/yr to play CoD, esp if they sweetend the pot with extra maps.

#52

theevilaires
16/07/10, 4:46 pm

Pacther has fucking lost it this time. I hear where he’s coming from but hell no. G1GA how you feel about this. (must read earlier comments BRB)

#53

theevilaires
16/07/10, 4:55 pm

Some good comments in here nice :D I agree G1GA.

#54

TerryWogan
16/07/10, 5:16 pm

Better comments here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/cqav3/activision_must_start_charging_for_call_of_duty/

No offence.

#55

AlphaOmega
16/07/10, 5:29 pm

A monthly Pay? are you kidding me???
Pacther you have no right to encourage Activision to milk the COD Franchise anymore than they already do!

You can’t sell a game for 60 bucks following by a 5 maps per pack for 15 bucks and in the end charge for a monthly pay!!!
a situation like this can happen only ONCE! it won’t happen again, Activision suffered BADLY with their fiasco with the IW Team.
Now that IW is DEAD, MW3 won’t have the same hype as MW2 had.

We, as PC gamers are feed up with the over pay for a game and map packs, not to mention with servers full of cheaters who ruin the experience for everyone else while the rest of IW Team are too busy making the next MW instead of FIXING the current one!

As a hardcore COD fan who is fed up with all this, I’m done…

#56

freedoms_stain
16/07/10, 5:44 pm

Pay to play p2p? Fuck that.

Dedicated servers plus new maps and modes minimum of fortnightly and it might approach being worth it. I’d also want admins there to marshal cheaters and cunts if I’m paying to play.

#57

MushroomStamp
16/07/10, 5:57 pm

I think it’s being looked at all wrong. If Acti is saying, “Hey we’ve had the #1 live game for a year”, then I think they go a different route. Instead of hurting the customer, use this info to leverage in-game advertising. I don’t mind if the can I kick over is a “coke” can. Or graffiti on the side of the building i’m sneaking by is some clothing brand. They should market the shit out of the fact they have millions of people in their controlled “world” and sell advertising. Just my 2cents. Sounds like a win win for everyone.

#58

OlderGamer
16/07/10, 6:37 pm

Agreed Mushie, seems like a good choice. watch for them to do that as well as a sub fee.

I don’t understand how LIVE can have advertizing on it, and I am still asked to pay to use it. Guess it is like TV. We pay the cable/sat companies, yet we still have to sit thro the commercials.

#59

DarkElfa
16/07/10, 7:27 pm

Its called the rape of the digital world.

#60

LOLshock94
16/07/10, 7:30 pm

the only ppl hu will be paying are 10 yr olds but i wud only play if they released new maps a month and tht they patch the game monthly as well

#61

LOLshock94
16/07/10, 7:37 pm

i would clearly may more to play xbox but not pay xbox for act and MS

#62

mojo
16/07/10, 7:52 pm

Older: Wait, u pay sat companies?
why that?
here u pay cable companies. but satelite is totaly free. u just set up a dish and there u go..
interestingly satelite has the much broader range of channels

@ topic: pay for CoD? why?

#63

Gekidami
16/07/10, 7:53 pm

You’re pirating satellite TV!

#64

Dralen
16/07/10, 7:56 pm

I just thought of something, imagine if Activision were really determined to take this route and Microsoft were very much against this. But…Activision decided to take this route anyway and it ended up not going to Xbox :O. I’m sure all hell would break lose then.

I’m almost certain, if this did happen, it would be Microsoft having to compromise since they could not afford to lose the huge fanbase of the COD franchise.

#65

LOLshock94
16/07/10, 8:13 pm

MS would put a gun to kotiks head (for got his name lol) and tell him to make it free

#66

OlderGamer
16/07/10, 9:22 pm

lol at your free sat TV.

I have Cable myself. We have bad weather alot here and the pic goes down a lot if I try sat. And when I factor in ISP, Phone and TV the Cable co is cheaper, a little bit anyways.

Been thinking very strongly about droping TV and just using Netflix exclusivly. But I would miss my sports, weather, and news.

#67

James Mac
17/07/10, 4:50 am

@ Dralen

Nah, I’m pretty sure MS would just come out and say: “Acti are trying to screw gamers… so not only are we not supporting it, but the new Halo game won’t be pay to multiplay.” Then they’ll probably approach the Respawn guys and say: “Hey, wanna stick it to Kotic?”

#68

mojo
17/07/10, 4:55 am

“You’re pirating satellite TV!”

no im not.
Its free here. simple as is. noone wants money from u here for using satelite tv.

#69

Joe_Gamer
17/07/10, 7:33 pm

God I fucking hate this guy, why would anyone listen to the BS dribbling out of this geriatric dumbass.

Older Comments

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