14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher Activision revealed that it has dropped the subscription for the Elite service for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and analysts see the move as a positive one that will allow more gamers to enjoy the series.
Jesse Divnich, who follows the video game industry for EEDAR, tells GamesIndustry.biz that, “It's a positive move for Activision. Opening up the Elite service to all consumers will be conducive to building long-term loyalty to the Call of Duty brand - especially as we transition to a new generation of consoles. The last console transition resulted in Call of Duty overtaking Halo and Medal of Honor, two strong franchises from the PS2/Xbox era.”
The analyst believes that more players will join Elite as a result and that loyalty to the series will increase significantly, which will have long-term benefits for the Call of Duty franchise.
Billy Pidgeon, an analyst working with Inside Network, added, “I am not surprised that Activision is moving away from charging for Elite as a service. Online multiplayer gaming is essential to franchises such as Call of Duty, and publishers do not usually charge for online services. In fact, subscription-based business models for online games are diminishing overall in favor of free-to-play models.”
Activision, like other companies that use the free-to-play model, will get more revenue from the sale of virtual goods and other content.
Elite was introduced alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and was available on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.
The new Call of Duty is developed by Treyarch and the multiplayer side of the game has been redesigned, allowing players to create their own mix of weapons and abilities and then take it on the battlefield.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be out on November 13 all over the world.