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[Louis Cyphre]

The fact that they can bundle it and get away with it just goes to show how popular and big the franchise is. You even have the Battlefield guys taking pot shots at it because they know it's almost impossible now for them to outsell it.

Activision is all about making money and that is very abundant with how little they invest in new IP's, milking franchises, pushing season's passes/dlc, and now this. We all know they will untether the remaster after Christmas and try and sell it all over again.

 

[The_Dama]

They shot my wallet in the foot.

 

[BodiesWithoutOrgans]

No because people complain and still buy it anyway

 

[Chû Totoro]

I know they'll be ok and even if not well it's not my problem. Mine is that I want MW without buying IW so I'll try to have it from one of my friends and if not possible I'll skip CoD for another year.

So yeah in both cases, I'll be ok and Activision will be too.

Now regarding Battlefield 1, I don't think that it's that much related. Of course some people who will skip or stop playing one may try the other but it's not like it's CoD or Battlefield only. It's two different games so not buying CoD won't make me buying Battlefiled. What is making me interested in Battelfield is what Dice seems to offer this year. And this seems to be a really really nice and welcome change in the franchise.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

The fact that they can bundle it and get away with it just goes to show how popular and big the franchise is. You even have the Battlefield guys taking pot shots at it because they know it's almost impossible now for them to outsell it.

Activision is all about making money and that is very abundant with how little they invest in new IP's, milking franchises, pushing season's passes/dlc, and now this. We all know they will untether the remaster after Christmas and try and sell it all over again.

I dunno if it's indicative to how popular CoD is, the sales have been declining for the past 4 years; to me it's more indicative of the fact that people who have nostalgia for CoD4 aren't particularly relevant to Activision's bottomline. 'If some MW fans are going to drop 80 bucks for MWR, that's great, but we're not going to put out essentially two competing SKUs.' I could see them unbundled after the initial release window, but it doesn't make much sense for Activision to compete with itself.

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

It's a calculated risk. They expect that enough people think it's a good enough deal to pick up the bundle and the lost sales will be a drop in the bucket.

I'm part of the group not interested enough in COD to pay for both, but who might have picked up the remaster on nostalgia at the right price. So they lost a potential sale, I guess.

 

[AU Tiger]

None of my console friends care. They're buying it regardless simply because it's COD.

The last COD I bought was black ops 1. I'll eventually just buy the remaster when it's stand alone. I really liked it back in the day but I don't like it enough to drop $80.

 

[MMaRsu]

I guess it doesn't matter in the end. Gamers are sheep and will flock to whatever is most popular, and it doesnt matter if it costs 80$ or 100$. If its COD there must be a new COD bought!

Regardless of anything else

 

[MMaRsu]

I'm getting the Legacy Edition for 90 euro. Selling the IW disc for 70 to my cousin as thats cheaper than RRP here and keeping the MWR code. Going with BF1 then. That's my shooter plan for the rest of the year.

Ehh, how do you even know that you can access MWR from a code? Maybe it's only through the menu? Wouldnt surprise me at all.

 

[SDCowboy]

It's smart. It will likely make countless people pay $80 just to get MWR, and will also bolster the IW numbers in the process. Then down the line, if they so choose, they can release MWR by itself.

 

[MMaRsu]

I don't get the complain. Bundling remasters with the new entry is neither new nor outrageous.

Its not a bundle lol.

It's held hostage in the 80$ version.

You cannot get the game any other way.

Yeah, a real great 'bundle' alright.

Man some of yall are so anxious to get fucked over by Acti! It's so fun to see.

(((((

This industry is fucking SHIT.

 

[CyberPunked]

Nope. Theyll be laughing all the way to the bank. And again in 6-12 months later when they sell MWR alone for $40.

People always say this, as though Call of Duty is invincible. A series of bad decisions will bring even the greatest forces down. There's enough examples of this in the gaming industry.

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

It makes absolutely no sense at all to buy it on PC.

 

[Coffinhal]

Speak with your wallet. Yes, you want the game but you don't need it.

Battlefield 1 is coming too and that looks far superior anyways. No offense. Wait, yes offense.

Looks ? You've seen what, 2 min of a trailer without actual gameplay footage ? Of a game that doesn't play at all like a COD ?

Come on, you BF fanboys can do better.

Who am I to tell one of the biggest publishers in the world how to do their job? But hey, I'll give it a go.

Do I think MW Re-mastered (MWR) behind a paywall reduce the sales numbers of Infinite Warfare (IW)? No. A 'boycott' would never be on a big enough scale. If IW doesn't sell as many copies as previous COD's, it will have little to do with MWR.

Will it increase sales of MWR? Likely, yes. With it included with every 'upgraded' copy of Infinite Warfare, it will be one of the biggest 'selling' games of the year. A standalone re-master would have done well for enthusiasts, sure. But I don't think it would outsell the 'latest' COD.

Had they sold separately, would Activision sold more copies of both games combined? Possibly. And this is where it gets most interesting.

You will notice the one question missing is: Will MWR included increase the sales of IW? Of course it will. People will buy IW to play MWR. They will. Activision know it. You know it. You may not, but lots of people will.

Activision could have done this one of many million ways, which I am sure they explored in great detail. People with far more information than me have likely run all scenarios. One option I am pretty sure they didn't consider was launching BOTH games at the same time independently. The reasons for this should be obvious (cannibalization of their market).

I am guessing they looked at the following:

Alternative 1: Full re-master of MWR.

- A full re-master. All maps. All missions. Everything.
- Extra/New content. A new side story. A spin off campaign
- Released in Holiday 2016
- Full retail price
- No 'new' COD in 2016

Give MWR the spotlight it deserves, not just an added pre-order/paywall bonus. It would sell to enthusiasts, but what about people wanting something fresh? A bit of bolted on content would be nice, but is it enough? Battlefield is releasing the same time. Risk is losing mind/market share to a competitor.

Alternative 2: Same re-master, released in H1 2016.

- Same re-master we are getting, limited maps etc.
- Released before E3, so sometime between March-June
- Budget retail price of c$40
- IW releases as planned in Holiday 2016

Another great one for fans. They get a standalone game and it would sell well, likely winning it's launch NPD month. Even beating Dark Souls and Unchartered. However, BLOPS3 is still in the top 10 NPD every month. COD is still selling. MWR would give it a bump up in sales, but not at peak season. Also, it would be either 'rushed' to market or put out unfished. Resources are not available to 'complete' the re-master as they are focusing on IW.

--

In the end, they went with the bundled/paywall option. The alternatives just posed too much risk to Activision and the COD brand. Simple as that really.

Also, don't be surprised if you 'need' IW to launch MWR, so selling the code wouldn't be worth anything.

NOTE: I am not saying this is 'right', 'fair', or the 'the best' thing to do. Just posting my thoughts if I was in their shoes.

Makes sense. Thanks for the post.

I wonder if they'll sell it for standalone a few months after the bundle with IW. Give it a new spring boost, with no more risk of splitting the community or canibalizing yourself.

 

[MMaRsu]

Looks ? You've seen what, 2 min of a trailer without actual gameplay footage ? Of a game that doesn't play at all like a COD ?

Come on, you BF fanboys can do better.



Makes sense. Thanks for the post.

I wonder if they'll sell it for standalone a few months after the bundle with IW. Give it a new spring boost, with no more risk of splitting the community or canibalizing yourself.

Ehh CoD still uses an upgraded QUake 3 engine. Quake 3!! LOL

I think we don't need to see gameplay footage to say that BF1 looks vastly superior in the graphics department.

You can clearly see that from the In Engine trailer.

 

[KillerDark]

Unfortunately no, they haven't. They will sell tons of copies of this to people who want MW remastered. Eventually they probably will sell it separately but not until sales have dried up. They will make plenty of $ doing this.

 

[Oersted]

Its not a bundle lol.

It's held hostage in the 80$ version.

You cannot get the game any other way.

Yeah, a real great 'bundle' alright.

Man some of yall are so anxious to get fucked over by Acti! It's so fun to see.

(((((

This industry is fucking SHIT.

Why is not a bundle? Just because you can't buy it seperated?

 

[The Lamonster]

No...plus I'm sure it will be available separately at a later date.

 

[Storm Raider]

I was super excited for a MW Remaster, I was willing to buy IW for it.

But now I'm 0% excited as Battlefield 1 stole every bit of excitement I had for it.

Now I'm going to wait for it to be sold seperately, if at all. If it's never sold seperately; they won't get my sale.

Just my opinion. I think they did shoot themselves in a few limbs.

 

[MMaRsu]

Why is not a bundle? Just because you can't buy it seperated?

Because its being held hostage in the 80 dollar version.

 

[Mr Friend29]

As someone that actually followed through with the boycott of MW2 on PC (apparently I was the only one), anyone know if they are taking dedicated servers away for the remaster?

If so, I will (and probably a small minority of other players) not be purchasing MWR

Spoiler

For PC at least

Also its unsurprising to see Activision have any respect for its playerbase, if there was any company that was so blatant about making money and fucking over the consumer, it would be them. Look at the prices of CoD on Steam. $60 for Black Ops 2? A 4 year old game for $60? Hell, I wanted to buy WaW last night and had to resort to some of the shadey-er websites because I wasn't going to pay Activision $20 for an 8 year old game with a dead online.

It will be released separately next year I'd wager, probably around the time Sledgehammers next game gets announced. For $30 and without the inevitable map pack containing the rest of the game they ripped out for us.

 

[MMaRsu]

As someone that actually followed through with the boycott of MW2 on PC (apparently I was the only one), anyone know if they are taking dedicated servers away for the remaster?

If so, I will (and probably a small minority of other players) not be purchasing MWR

Spoiler

For PC at least

Haha you think mwr will have dedis?


Whahahaha

 

[joecanada]

Just like people boycotted CoD by not buying it when they dropped dedicated servers, right?

People will pay the premium price and if the new game isn't complete shit you get a bonus to your CoD4 copy.

I completely stopped buying cod directly because of the servers. and I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole until I hear about the servers. last 6 games or more have all been shitty, not going back unless they actually work on that online experience.

last ones I bought were BO2 and then AW, didn't enjoy either. completely unreliable experience online will stick with BF.

 

[The End]

I'd be utterly shocked if this didn't work like Zombies: DLC that you need to launch from the menu of the main game. They're not intentionally trying to flood gamestop with barely-used copies of IW here.

 

[Floex]

I'm not paying $80 for a remaster of a game from 2007. Activision can fuck off.

Nothing else needs to be said.

 

[Mr Friend29]

Haha you think mwr will have dedis?


Whahahaha

CoD4 did and was the reason the boycott was even a thing

It had mods too but I'm not that optimistic

 

[Collateral22]

Ehh, how do you even know that you can access MWR from a code? Maybe it's only through the menu? Wouldnt surprise me at all.

Then I guess I'll be paying 90 euros for MWR. But then IMO, we can kiss goodbye to getting a standalone version of it.

 

[giant_frying_pan]

Yes. By which I mean, they will [sell] tons of units including many to those complaining.

Then they'll eventually sell it separately for $40 and sell even more.

 

[MR BLACKMAGIK]

I don't think they have. Most people complaining now will just buy it for $80 if Activision doesn't give them another option.

 

[Fury451]

No. It's a brilliant business choice because they're heavily playing on the nostalgia and the acclaim of CoD4, and locking it behind the paywall basically ensures that the more impulsive people that can't wait to see if it actually will be released standalone will jump on it for the extra money, ensuring them increased profits and sales for two products.

It's genius.

Activision is a lot of things, but bad business people they are not.

TL;DR Basicaly this:

No because people complain and still buy it anyway

 

[DiamondDog74]

I picked up modern warfare for $2.99 at Game On. I dragged my 360 out of my closet and I gotta say, I really don't feel satisfied. It is a great game but even with nostalgia, paying anything over $10 would be nuts, better graphics and all.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

It gives me the feeling that Activision putting MWR behind IW is a really bad decision that could potentially cost them sales. A lot of them. Shit, people could switch over to Battlefield 1 entirely because of this move.

Wait, wait.

If these friends of yours weren't buying Infinite Warfare to get Modern Warfare Remastered, they likely weren't going to buy it if wasn't included either.

It sounds like a lost sale either way. The real issue seems to be that Activision needed Infinite Warfare to be a more appealing game to begin with.

 

[Ryde3]

I hope so. It's bullshit, and so was their press release.

 

[MMaRsu]

Then I guess I'll be paying 90 euros for MWR. But then IMO, we can kiss goodbye to getting a standalone version of it.

Not if barely anyone buys this stupid "bundle".

 

[MMaRsu]

CoD4 did and was the reason the boycott was even a thing

It had mods too but I'm not that optimistic

I know Cod4 did, Im just saying they likely arent going to put up dedis for this remake.

 

[speedomodel]

I'm on fence with this I guess. I want MW for the campaign remaster, one of my favorite games of all time and I would gladly pay $60 to enjoy.

IW seems interesting....so I may just consider it buying the deluxe remaster with an extra....game? I dunno, I'm not going to get bent out of shape about it and I'm sure the game will sell amazingly well. Most COD players seem to say BLOPS is the best so...

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

This is kind of a cross post from another thread, but fucking seriously, what would you rather have in a CoD limited edition: a remaster of one of the best games in the series, or some pointless bullshit like a fridge/goggles? People weren't up in arms when you couldn't buy that dumbass crap separately from Prestige editions...why is this any different?

Plus if people want to play Modern Warfare that badly then they can just play it on 360/PS3 and stop bitching. The remaster isn't even feature complete compared to that.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Not really. I know the Internet always has trouble coming to terms with the fact that it's not even remotely close to representing the general consumer, but the millions of people who buy CoD every year are still going to buy CoD this year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm upset by it, but I doubt we're going to be hearing about how IW flopped because of it.

 

[Collateral22]

Not if barely anyone buys this stupid "bundle".

You just know loads will though. Pretty much anyone who wants CoD4 will get this, especially if you can just sell the IW disc afterwards.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

I just now realized why this pic keeps getting posted and I damn near spit my coffee out

 

[hollomat]

From a business standpoint, this is really the only way they could do it. If they sold it standalone, there's a huge risk of having their $20 product cannibalize their $60 product.

I'd be shocked if it doesn't get sold separately 6 months after launch though.

 

[naeS]

Watch they have it so you need to launch Modern Warfare Remastered from the Infinite Warfare menu lol or some type of way that requires the Infinite Warfare disc, that would be hilarious.

It's actually MW Remastered on disc. IW requires a download.

 

[MMaRsu]

You just know loads will though. Pretty much anyone who wants CoD4 will get this, especially if you can just sell the IW disc afterwards.

Hehe thats not how its gonna work bud

 

[ironcreed]

It will still sell like gang busters, and instead of paying $60, people will happily pay them $80 in order to get a remaster of a 2007 game. Anchoring MW to Infinite Warfare for an extra $20 was genius. Sleazy, but genius.

As for me? I still have not spent enough time with Advanced Warfare or Black Ops 3, so no thanks. Besides, I think IW looks like total shit anyway. Battlefield 1 is the only fall shooter that has my attention.

 

[Lionheart1827]

I know Cod4 did, Im just saying they likely arent going to put up dedis for this remake.

Most likely they'll be using whatever hybrid system they've been using, but there it is.

 

[MMaRsu]

Plus if people want to play Modern Warfare that badly then they can just play it on 360/PS3 and stop bitching. The remaster isn't even feature complete compared to that.

Ohhh thats okay then. I guess everyone who has been asking for a Cod4 remake but doesnt want to spend 80 dollars on it can just go and play it on their old.consoles right?

Because thats why they wanted the remake?

Man oh man

Also stop "bitching" guys! We cannot voice our opinions and complaints of this business decision because we need to stop bitching.

 

[MMaRsu]

Most likely they'll be using whatever hybrid system they've been using, but there it is.

Cool, pc only or consoles too?

 

[Nzyme32]

No.

The diehards will buy it regardless, then several months or years from now they will release it as a standalone or in a collection (even though they claim they won't)

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Nope. Theyll be laughing all the way to the bank. And again in 6-12 months later when they sell MWR alone for $40.

.

 

[papo]

No, they actually will make bank because of it.

I myself don't really care for the new game, but them putting the remake of the last CoD game I enjoyed behind this paywall will most likely get me to buy the dam things.

And I am sure it will be the same for a bunch of people even if they release it as a stand alone at a later date.