Analyst: Publishers Need to Charge Fees for Multiplayer

Michael Pachter, the outspoken analyst which works for Wedbush Morgan Securities, has again caused a stir by saying that publishers need to monetize the multiplayer side of their video games in order to get the industry out of its current slump.

In his Pach Attack show on the Gametrailers site, the analyst has said, “We firmly believe that until the publishers address monetization of multiplayer, game sales will continue to be challenged by the publishers’ altruistic decision to provide significantly more entertainment value per hour than ever in history.”

Pachter has talked about gamers playing for multiplayer before, saying that the best sold video game franchise in the world, Call of Duty, is the best candidate for such a move.

The Chief Executive Officer of publisher Activision, Bobby Kotick, who guides the future development of the franchise, has stated that his company has no plans to charge any additional fee for the multiplayer component of its games.

The analyst added, “In our view, monetization of multiplayer is one of the greatest opportunities for the publishers, and we think that it would be a serious strategic error to pass on this opportunity.”

It makes sense to separate singleplayer and multiplayer gaming for some video games, but the move will certainly not go down well with players as long as the main game, the single player portion, sells for the same price and an extra charge is added for those who are interested in playing against other humans.

Publishers could garner a lot of good will with the public and make their lives easier by selling multiplayer as a separate experience in some cases, like Call of Duty or Halo: Reach, as long as they reduce the price of the split experience.

Resistance from the public means that for the foreseeable future no such separation between single and multiplayer will happen.