So it looks like either Activision or Infinity Ward have really set out for themselves to create a really, really foul precident regarding the latest installment in the Call of Duty series. If you’ve been living in a cave, been without power or otherwise just not around a computer then perhaps you’ve not heard the shenanigans going down with Modern Warfare 2. Well, let’s see if I can sum it up in a nutshell here for you since the story in multi-fold. What gives?
Ridiculous Pricing, forced software usage, dedicated servers yes/no/yes/no/who knows depending on the day, craptacular mutliplayer game browser… Want more?
First, Activision/Infinity Ward look to be setting a new trend: PC versions of the game at the same pricepoint as the console versions. Yes, you read that right. Activision/Infinity Ward have decided that PC titles should no longer be $10 less. They expect you to pay $59.99 USD for the PC version of the game as well. It’s been a long standing tidbit since this generation of consoles hit that, generally speaking, PC versions of the same title have always been at the PC peak price (not counting “special editions”) of $49.99 USD. Conversely, console versions of games have ran at the peak price of $59.99 USD. Not so for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2; it’s $60 or nothing.
Second, Activision gives the gaming community the old “You’re Number One” sign when they announce, then recant, then re-accounce, then recant, then eff all if I know where they stand today that there will be a watered-down session browser and no dedicated servers for the game… which is WIDELY known for its multiplayer facet. I’d love to tell you, my faithful readers, what the status on this is, but quite frankly, until the game is launches I think it could change minute-to-minute.
Finally, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 REQUIRES installation of the Steam Client. Okay, to me, this isn’t huge since I use Steam already. Also, this isn’t the first title to do this as we all should know. However, this forced action has caused other Digital Distributors to tell Modern Warfare 2 where to shove its “bundle”. Direct2Drive and Impulse, Steam’s major competitors, have both announced that they will NOT be offering the game through their service because of this “force conflict of interest”. Now, like I said, for Steam users I don’t see this being a problem, but am I the only one who thinks it’s stupid to shoot yourself in the foot as a developer/publisher by pissing off those who will be distributing your product?
Again, I am fine with the Steam issue, but this does bring me back to the debate that’s been going on for a while now: Physical Media will soon be dead and replaced by Digital Distrubution (Yeah, I remember when they said DVD was going to wipe VHS out in months… took a bit longer). With practices like this how can the consumer expect some industry standard by which they can base their plans of future purchases upon when this sort of action forces a monopoly more than it does opportunity? Steam is great and dandy, but I will happily and boldly say right now: I DO NOT WANT THEM TO BE MY ONLY OPTION.
I may be full of myself a bit, but I am seriously thinking about bouncing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from my “Must have” list with all this blatant bullcrap. Honestly, I don’t know if I want to support them to begin with if it even hints at the paradigm shift that all future PC titles will be $60 USD…
Thanks, but no thanks.
Tags: activision, Call of Duty, Digital Distribuition, Direct2Drive, Impulse, Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare, Steam
