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Posted By Robert G. about 1 year, 11 months ago
Is it all that its cracked up to be?
Yesterday Activision released to the public it’s plans for the future of online multiplayer, specifically for their perennial fan favorite the Call of Duty series. With the release of Modern Warfare 3, Activision will be implementing a new system titled Call of Duty: Elite, which will serve as an online tracking and database system similar to Bungie.net Halo: Waypoint. The system will include free and premium content, which has not been revealed at this time.
Now before I go further, there has been a lot of speculation on that fact that the premium content is possible talk for a pay-to-play service or a monthly subscription fee for Call of Duty: Elite. As of right now there is no confirmation on how the premium content will be implemented, what the content actually is, how much it will be, and if there will be a monthly subscription involved. Let me be clear by saying that a majority of that discussion is only rumor and speculation at this time. Instead, I want to look at what has been confirmed as of right now.
*- A new interface to look at statistical information. As I said before, the CoD: Elite will feature a service reminiscent of Halo Waypoint, where you can access your personal statistics as they are charted over time, including recent match history, class usage, your kill/death ratio, even file and video sharing with peers.
*- You can compare performance in game with your friends list. You can do this game-by-game or throughout your CoD careers.
*- Three different sections have been revealed so far for users to interact with, Connect, Compete and Improve.
*- Connect implements the use of groups and clans. Groups are unofficial social networks that can do the above features, only with a smaller number of people. The groups can be anything from a college dorm room to a high school graduating class, for example, an informal circle of friends basically. Groups are also for the public. Clans operate the same way, only on the competitive level and are private groups.
*- Compete is what you would expect, implemented tournaments and leagues and clan vs. clan based match-ups for the more hardcore players.
*- The Improve section functions as an information tool (ala wikipedia) and a tracker tool to show how you can improve online. It will track your statistics and showcase how you can improve your in-game skills.
Stat tracking for the win!
Currently, Activision is offering players of Call of Duty: Black Ops a chance to enter the Beta for Call of Duty: Elite. You can sign up for the beta here. As stated before there will be premium content offered, but as of right now everything mentioned above is free with the purchase of Modern Warfare 3. I have to say it is an interesting strategy employed by Activision to keep sales and interest on the series up, but I must admit I am highly skeptical about the entire service. I personally need more information about what content you do need to pay for before I make a final judgment, but based on what is confirmed, what do you all think about Call of Duty: Elite?
He-heeey look, it’s an incredible waste of money!
Want to know what I think? 3 billion dollars. That’s the GDP for some small nations. That’s also the amount of money Activision has grossed since the first CoD to MW2. As far as Black Ops go they netted 1 billion within the first 6 weeks. Activision has made record profits off of this franchise. While I understand that servers, bandwidth and code-monkeys to make it all work cost money; I still can’t help but see the 3 billion F’n dollars. Nickle and diming people to death, especially when the content in the past has been part of the game itself, is a guaranteed way of ostracizing your fanbase. I can understand charging for DLC; you have a choice in the matter. Either play it or don’t. As a PC gamer this move by Activision will be a pill much easier to swallow as many games already have a monthly subscription. That being said as a console gamer (choose your poison) it won’t be. I’ve been trying to find a sales breakdown for Black Ops and I have found several; though I’m not convinced any are reliable. They all seem to have the same general figures in mind though. 50+ % of sales going to Xbox, 30+ % of sales going to PS3 and -20% going to PC and Nintendo. I know the figures aren’t exact but I believe I’ve been conservative with the console numbers and Liberal with the PC figures. I’m sure Nintendo makes up a very small portion of the CoD market. Convincing even half of that 80 % margin to buy into something that has always been included in the purchase price is going to be challenging to say the least. Activision has a chance to make a serious dent in the storm that not only surrounds the franchise but the company as a whole. Taking a page out of Valve’s playbook and giving the people more than they paid for would solidify their customer base as a whole. I don’t want to believe that they are so short-sighted as to have already forgotten their past mistakes. I do know one thing as gamers we are not nearly as short-sighted.
I think that most of the services will be free. The paying part will be DLC content and the tournaments for prizes from what I’ve read and gathered. At least, I hope…
Sounds like something that it should be in the game without charging for it