Here’s something you probably didn’t expect to hear. While there is plenty of disapproval over Activision’s new Call of Duty Elite subscription platform, they do have one prominent supporter. EA’s CEO has spoken recently saying that Activision has done a great job in introducing a subscription model to the first person shooter franchise.
You would think that a potshot would be more appropriate when talking about the Call of Duty series, main rival to EA’s own Battlefield 3 franchise, but when money is on the agenda that obviously isn’t the case it seems.
EA CEO John Riccitiello said the revealing comments in his latest investor’s call which has been intercepted by CVG. We’re a big fan of the Battlelog stats service for Battlefield 3 which remains free to use, but we think we can speak on behalf of most gamers in saying that we hope that it doesn’t turn into a paid-service in the end like Call of Duty Elite.
To pick out a particular passage of quotes from Riccitiello: ”Frankly, I gave a compliment to one of our competitors. It’s got a subscription on the back end of an FPS title. I think that’s a best-in-class performance. We’ve got plans for all of our major franchises to turn them into more of… games for service that have a constant flow of downloadable content. ”
At the moment, the majority of Battlefield 3 players have not had to pay for any downloadable content for Battlefield 3 yet. Back to Karkand was an excellent addition to the game, and even better it was a free download for those who picked up the limited edition version of the game. EA would definitely be heading down a tricky path if they do decide to announce a subscription for the Battlefield franchise and judging by the nature of the CEO’s comments above, it looks like it could well be a possibility for the company in the future.
As a current Battlefield 3 player, what are your thoughts on Battlefield 3, or even Battlefield 4 offering DLC to gamers by way of a subscription as seen in Modern Warfare 3 with Call of Duty Elite? Totally the worst idea ever, or are you willing to see what EA offer on the table first?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol, or (AD). Also, prices and information correct at publish time and date.
