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CybrSlydr
July 16th, 2010, 18:20
http://pc.ign.com/articles/110/1106742p1.html



Analyst - Activision Must Begin Multiplayer Fees

Publishers must find a way to profit off online multiplayer, says Pachter.

July 16, 2010


If the videogame industry is going to rebound from its decline in software sales, publishers will need to look at monetizing online multiplayer, said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter (http://stars.ign.com/objects/001/001067.html) in his latest investor report.

Pachter believes one of the main reasons software sales for PS3 and Xbox 360 are down year-over-year is due to gamers continuing to log substantial hours into a handful of online games and not picking up new titles regularly.

"We estimate that a total of 12 million consumers are playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (http://pc.ign.com/objects/142/14280895.html) for an average of 10 hours per week on the two platforms' respective networks, and the continued enjoyment of this game (along with an estimated 6 million Halo online players, 3 million EA Sports players, and 5 million players playing other games, such as Battlefield, Red Dead Redemption, Left 4 Dead and Grand Theft Auto) has sucked the available time away from what otherwise would be spent playing newly purchased games," he said.

Pachter also noted that Activision (http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025004.html) needs to make the first move with multiplayer charges, and expects we could see something with Call of Duty: Black Ops (http://pc.ign.com/objects/143/14349496.html), set for release this November.

"We think that it is incumbent upon Activision, with the most popular multiplayer game, to take the first step to address monetization of multiplayer," said Pachter. "It is too early to tell whether that will be a monthly subscription, tournament entry fees, microtransaction fees, or a combination of all three, but we expect to see the company take some action by year-end, when Call of Duty Black Ops launches."

Pachter says he expects the publisher will apply a World of Warcraft-like business model to its Call of Duty franchise. Activision will likely continue to offer some form a free multiplayer for awhile, he says, but notes that it's imperative the company capitalizes on the estimated 4 billion hours of time spent online since the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

"We are quick to point out that the average single player game has an expected play time of under 30 hours, suggesting that a staggering 133 million units of equivalent game play have been spent (so far) playing Call of Duty online, with Activision only seeing revenues from the original 20 million units sold, plus an estimated 8 million map packs sold," he added.

Activision hasn't been shy in the past about its intentions for some of its key franchises. The publisher has said several times (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1068414p1.html) it's looking at new online business models for Call of Duty and Guitar Hero.

In a recent interview (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1103969p1.html), Activision CEO Bobby Kotick also made his displeasure known over closed online networks such as Xbox Live.

"We've heard that 60 per cent of [Microsoft's] subscribers are principally on Live because of Call of Duty," said Kotick. "We don't really participate financially in that income stream. We would really like to be able to provide much more value to those millions of players playing on Live, but it's not our network."Well, we knew it was coming. Total bull****.

So glad that I don't play MP on consoles.

azflyboy
July 16th, 2010, 20:12
The problem with this is that Microsoft probably wouldn't be thrilled about the extra charges, since they're already having to struggle to justify why Xbox live charges for content that Sony offers for free.

Microtransactions are likely here to stay, but developers have also figured out that people are willing to shell out $$ for not only extra maps and such, but in some cases (Bioshock 2 is the best known one), they've actually charged players money to simply unlock content that was already on the disk when the game shipped.


Charging for access to multiplayer in games that aren't World of Warcraft runs the risk of a backlash from customers, so I'd guess developers will stick with trying to cripple used game sales (which make them no money) and seeing just how much they can get away with for microtransactions for the time being.

Allen
July 16th, 2010, 23:00
I will send you all to the link below. I already went over why I'm not happy with the big name game makers right now. Now I can add one more thing to th why I hate them list!

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=39537


Microsoft probably won't let Activision have any more money if they get any at all. Far as I Xbox Live run on MS servers. If Activision says there taking over all multiplayer for games they make. MS can say that the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are theres. If any use try to Mod there Xbox 360's to run on Activision servers, MS can ban them from Xbox Live.

Maybe Developers should start making games people want to buy, not all this crap that is out there now. I oly ame looking at geting 2 new games this year.

Game I will be buying this year are all do in the November 2010.

Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii: Most likey new. :engel016:

Golden Eye 007 for Wii: I will wait for a used copy because I hate farking Activision so farking much for all the http://forums.guildofgreeters.com/style_emoticons/default/censored.gif they have done and are now doing. I don't care if I have to wait tell Feburary to get it! :angryfir:

CybrSlydr
July 17th, 2010, 04:13
Activision makes EA look like a good, well run and consumer oriented company.

Ubi is on my **** list for the DRM too - I refuse to get SH5 and Splinter Cell or any new game because of it.

It kills me to see Blizzard lumped in with this group of greedy *******s. I hate to think what's on the horizon if they're all about this money grubbing.

I'm glad I don't play MP games. Jesus, you imagine being charged $.50/logon just to play the damn game??

I posted this article over on another computer forum and the posters are saying the same thing.

Here's the link.

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=344274

Bjoern
July 17th, 2010, 09:11
First DRM, then payware DLCs, now payware multiplayer...what's next?
A payware game engine with payware levels/campaigns, characters and storylines?

If that's gonna be the case I wish nothing less than the death of a major part of the gaming industry on the hands of the cancer they summoned.

One should be glad that there are still a few "normal" publishers out there, e.g. Stardock.

azflyboy
July 17th, 2010, 09:44
First DRM, then payware DLCs, now payware multiplayer...what's next?
A payware game engine with payware levels/campaigns, characters and storylines?


I don't have an issue with payware DLC, as long as it's original content and not simply unlocking something that was already on the disk.

As an example, GTAIV got two expansions after it was released, and both of them were essentially new games, centering on background characters from the main game and using the existing game map while adding new locations, characters, vehicles and weapons.

Both DLC packs were very highly regarded by reviewers, and were of extremely high quality (they were essentially new games), so there wasn't much complaining about them being $20 payware.

Bioshock 2 on the other hand charged $5 for "added multiplayer content", which consisted of a couple of weapons, some new character models, and a couple of multiplayer missions.

Immediately after the DLC was released, people realized that the downloaded file size (under a megabyte) was way too small to contain any actual content, so people started poking around inside the game files, and found out that the "new content" was already present on the disk, and they were being charged $5 to unlock the files.

The publisher of Bioshock 2 came out with some kind of excuse that they "didn't want to split the player base", but I don't think anyone believed them.

Bjoern
July 18th, 2010, 09:09
I don't have an issue with payware DLC, as long as it's original content and not simply unlocking something that was already on the disk.

GTA is a noteworthy and nice exception, but it mostly really is "unlock stuff" or "here's a new character or weapon" (Mass Effect 2) that's sold as DLC which leaves more of a "make some easy cash" than a "We care about fans" impression.

stiz
July 18th, 2010, 09:41
yea some DLC is really worth the money, others are to just generate cash ..

Its also just goes to show what they really want when one of the best selling games ever hasnt earned "enough" Most game devs+studios would love to have 12 mill people their game :kilroy:

Snuffy
July 18th, 2010, 09:46
... It kills me to see Blizzard lumped in with this group of greedy *******s. ...

Umm what happened to "asshats"? This isn't the QMS ...


... Jesus, you imagine being charged $.50/logon just to play the damn game?? ...

Do I detect a bit of ... umm ... hatred here?

srgalahad
July 18th, 2010, 14:17
Easy cash?? Ya think?? Maybe the industry is struggling... I guess it just depends on your perspective:

"Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox Live online video-game service probably broke the $1 billion revenue mark for the first time in the year that just ended, helped by sales of movies, avatar accessories and extra game levels.
Microsoft says about half the service’s 25 million users paid an annual fee to play games online like “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” in the year ended June 30. That would be about $600 million. Sales of products like movie and TV show downloads topped subscription revenue for the first time, Dennis Durkin, Xbox’s chief operating officer, said in an e-mail"



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-07/xbox-live-sales-probably-topped-1-billion-for-the-first-time.html

Gdavis101
July 18th, 2010, 21:10
I am getting ready to dump my gold membership on Xbox Live, just don't use it.. I have yet to play Modern Warfare or Battlefield 2 online. Some months ago a guy came in with a resume and wanted to apply for a job, he actually listed his XBOX points and achievements on his resume!!! I couldn't believe it..

srgalahad
July 19th, 2010, 07:13
I am getting ready to dump my gold membership on Xbox Live, just don't use it.. I have yet to play Modern Warfare or Battlefield 2 online. Some months ago a guy came in with a resume and wanted to apply for a job, he actually listed his XBOX points and achievements on his resume!!! I couldn't believe it..

Nooooo.. don't let M$ suffer the pain... besides you'll desperately want the membership when they bring out "FSFD: The Game" (that's FlightSimForDummies - so real ANY kid can fly!)

Did you check to see if there were diet cola and Twinkie stains on his resume, or did he just pass around his smartphone?

Gdavis101
July 20th, 2010, 22:56
It was pretty funny.. I subscribed some months back to XBOX Live as a gold member just so I could try out the new Battlefield 1942 demo that they did... Got into the game, and as I was standing there admiring the scenery one of my "fellow" soldiers came along and shot me!I decided that was enough multiplayer for me.

It would be cold, cold day in you know where before I would ever use an XBOX 360 version of Flight Simulator.