Big time publisher Activision dropped an announcement right out of left field this morning, revealing the development of Call of Duty Online and its exclusivity to the Chinese market.
According to the official press statement, Call of Duty Online is a “new free to play micro transaction game” that’s being developed by Activision Shangai in partnership with Raven Software exclusively for the Chinese player base.
The game is set to host traditional modes that have become the grassroots of Call of Duty multiplayer, as well as a few new modes with “localized, unique content tailored to the needs and interest of gamers in China.”
No release date has been given as of yet.
Many have already asked, and many are already guessing the answer – but why isn’t a service like this on its way to the states (or Australia, Canada, or Europe for that matter), you may ask?
In my mind, the answer is as plain and simple as you might imagine. The audience that continually purchases new iterations of Call of Duty year after year isn’t the same audience (at its core) that familiarizes itself with subscription-based models for games. Sure, there is overlap in the consumer base — but you have to take into account the number of folks that buy Call of Duty…and pretty much only buy Call of Duty.
It’s a franchise that is far reaching, in that even the most casual of video game players pick up Call of Duty for a few rounds of run n’ gun action online. That said, many of these players play on consoles exclusively, meaning Call of Duty Online (given it’s a PC title like almost all F2P shooters) might not suit their setup.
Lastly, it’s probably got something to do with money. Activision makes $60 a pop from upwards of 20 million people every single year – that’s a lot of cash flow that they know is going to fill their pockets – why would they want to rock the boat now?
A subscription model makes sense to the industry, but we’re familiar with Call of Duty and how much money it makes for its publisher — regular Joe isn’t. To transition the Call of Duty player base (the paying player base mind you) will take more than a simple press release and mentions on some notable gaming websites. Activision will have to make a very big, very publicized splash to let people know where their COD fix is going, not simply announce a product and hope the crowd follows.
[via COD Online]
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