Following Activision’s Q4 earnings call, it appears that some folks may have misconstrued certain statements in the report as possible precursors for a pay-to-play model for online titles such as those in the Call of Duty franchise. However, according to the company’s all-around community and PR guru Dan Amrich, that couldn’t be any farther from the truth.
According to Amrich, gamers far and wide had begun to suspect that a pay-to-play model was on its way when Activision introduced their newest studio, Beachhead, whose primary task would be to develop and manage the company’s new online component. But gamers can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now, as Amrich stated that the company is in the same position regarding a pay-to-play model as it was last year, with the online components of Call of Duty titles to be chiefly supported by micro-transactions.
“Everything everybody said last year is still true: you will not have to pay to play COD multiplayer. Even the game announced for the Chinese market is a free-to-play model supported by microtransactions. Please, tell your friends — the fact that the rumor mill keeps churning this one up despite direct statements from the people who actually would be able to make those decisions…it’s downright ridiculous at this point.”
While it is certainly nice to hear that Activision doesn’t plan to enforce a pay-to-play online model at this point in time, many still fear that such a move may be just over the horizon. With the general chaos that has rocked the company over the past few weeks, it’s unclear what new policies may surface as a result; never say never.
For all the latest news surrounding the daytime drama that is Activision, be sure to stay tuned to PlayStation LifeStyle.
