Ben-DutkaEA has their Online Pass and it has long since been rumored that Activision is seeking ways to monetize the massive online popularity of Call of Duty .
Well, Ubisoft says if you really think about it, Activision already is charging for online play. As Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told MCV and as summarized at CVG , the CoD publisher may not be charging direct fees for online participation, but they're still getting plenty of compensation via downloadable content. This came about after MCV asked Guillemot if Ubisoft would charge to play the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood online; Guillemot responded:
"I'd say that CoD is already charging customers for its [online] service, as Activision are already launching DLC regularly…customers are already buying content."
This past June, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said he wanted to utilize a subscription system for the hugely popular shooter franchise, which met with immediate hostility from gamers everywhere. Perhaps that won't happen, but there's one other complaint gamers often have with Activision: the high cost of DLC; the extra content comes often, and usually holds premium $14.99 price tags. And of course, none of them have anything to do with the single-player campaigns, so…isn't it logical to assume they're already "charging" for online?
Good call, Ubisoft. Makes sense.
