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[BruiserBear]

Microsoft announced last week at Gamescom that Ghosts would run on dedicated servers on XB1. For some reason we cannot seem to get this same question answered for the Playstation 4 version of the game.

Is Microsoft paying them to be silent for a certain period of time? Surely Infinity Ward knows the answer to this question right now.

 

[Garrett 2U]

Is Microsoft paying them to be silent for a certain period of time?

More likely is that Activision is still in talks with Sony, trying to get a similar deal to whatever Microsoft is offering them.

 

[Silky]

Probably. Probably not. I don't think MS is paying Acti to be silent??? I mean dedicated servers for every game (though this might be exxagerated due to Wired) is one of the greater selling points of the console

 

[netBuff]

More likely is that Activision is still in talks with Sony, trying to get a similar deal to whatever Microsoft is offering them.

More likely is that due to the marketing deal Activision has with Microsoft, they aren't talking about the PS4 version at the moment. Answering "watch this space!" when questioned about dedicated servers on PS4 indicates them being present in all (next gen) versions.

 

[Uno Venova]

i know the answer

 

[def sim]

Rather than MS paying for silence, it's more likely Activision is waiting for Sony to foot the bill or there won't be any for this year.

 

[BruiserBear]

Rather than MS paying for silence, it's more likely Activision is waiting for Sony to foot the bill or there won't be any for this year.

I would think Sony and Activision would have settled this issue months ago one way or another. I don't think these companies routinely make pretty major decisions in the final months of development.

Thus my skepticism that this question can't be answered right now. It leads one to believe they just won't answer it right now, and the only reason they won't is because somewhere in a contract it says they can't, until a certain specified date.

 

[Sloane_Ranger]

.. or Sony just did not choose to come out and say "me too!" - my guess is that someone on the COD forums will ask, and the answer will be yes. Or Activision will put the info out themselves at some point. IMO.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

More likely is that Activision is still in talks with Sony, trying to get a similar deal to whatever Microsoft is offering them.

Way too late in the game for that- too close to launch now. The decision's been made, we just don't get to know what it is until Activision's contractually based "silent period" regarding PS4 is up.

Also- there's nothing for them to be in talks with Sony about. Sony is not a server provider. They would have been talking with Google, Amazon, Rackspace, etc., regarding dedis for PC and PS4.

 

[puffyshirt]

I would think it will. It's not a feature that makes the Xbox more attractive, it's a feature that makes Call of Duty more attractive. You'd think Activision would be completely open to deals with both sony and ms.

 

[USC-fan]

I would be shock if it wasnt the case. MS would be screaming about it if it was true.

So pretty much confirms, yes the PS4 will have servers.

COD sales on ps4 would tank and people would just buy BF4. Since it always had servers...

 

[Gorillaz]

Acti probably working out a deal with Sony like they did with MS.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

I would be shock if it wasnt the case. MS would be screaming about it if it was true.

So pretty much confirms, yes the PS4 will have servers.

Yes- I find it hard to believe that MS would have missed out on the chance to stamp the word "exclusive" all over this if it was actually going to be.

Plus, if you look at the way IW's responses are worded when asked directly about dedis for PS4, well, you don't need to be too brilliant to figure out what's going on.

http://www.charlieintel.com/2013/08/21/dedicated-servers-for-ghosts-mp-reportedly-coming-to-pc/

 

[SHADES]

I tweeted @YOSP regarding this twice last week, guess what?

No reply.

I would assume it would be a similar set up to BF3 where the publisher is responsible etc but now not so sure?

However I still find it hard to believe Sony would allow one of gamings biggest sellers to be at a disadvantage on PS4.

 

[def sim]

I would think Sony and Activision would have settled this issue months ago one way or another. I don't think these companies routinely make pretty major decisions in the final months of development.

Thus my skepticism that this question can't be answered right now. It leads one to believe they just won't answer it right now, and the only reason they won't is because somewhere in a contract it says they can't, until a certain specified date.

Right and so it's just as likely there won't be any for this year. I don't think MS is above paying for spoken marketing points, but Activision is just as likely to omit features on other platforms to save a buck and Sony might feel it's an unnecessary feature. Especially seeing as they are most definitely going to outsell the Xbox and be the home of CoD for a lot of customers regardless.

 

[GeeDuhb]

I was under the impression that this was happening because of the cloud servers? Maybe cloud is the wrong term here, but didn't Microsoft announce that they were providing dedicated Live servers to every developer for the One? (If my memory serves me, I think the number was 300,000 dedicated servers to start?)

That's why my thinking was that it was probably (unfortunately) not happening for the PS4 version...

Edit:

This is what I was thinking (Source)

Digging deeper, Emslie says Respawn can calculate all of Titanfall's AI and physics on the cloud. "It's not peer-to-peer any more," he says. "We just wiped that away. In the past, when you were playing multiplayer games, you had to make sure the party leader had an open NAT. It was just this big hassle. We don't have to worry about any of that any more. It's fantastic. When I say the cloud I'm talking about dedicated servers as well and how they interact with each other. We're really happy with it."

 

[USC-fan]

Acti probably working out a deal with Sony like they did with MS.

The only deal is likely just a marketing deal. Acti is most likely using their own servers and not MS "cloud". Just like the rest of their games.

Just bf4 will do with EA.

 

[BibiMaghoo]

Have they ever clarified what they means by dedicated servers?

Are these hosting servers? Or matchmaking servers?

Spoiler

Lol

 

[ToyBroker]

I was under the impression that this was happening because of the cloud servers? Maybe cloud is the wrong term here, but didn't Microsoft announce that they were providing dedicated Live servers to every developer for the One? (If my memory serves me, I think the number was 300,000 dedicated servers to start?)

That's why my thinking was that it was probably (unfortunately) not happening for the PS4 version...

I'm pretty sure that 300,000 number that was thrown out was for a new cloud facility that hasn't even started construction yet.

I'd say there's a pretty good chance for PS4 to have them as well--I honestly don't expect Sony to drop the ball on this one.

 

[lastflowers]

I would assume so since the xbone's version will have it.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

I was under the impression that this was happening because of the cloud servers? Maybe cloud is the wrong term here, but didn't Microsoft announce that they were providing dedicated Live servers to every developer for the One? (If my memory serves me, I think the number was 300,000 dedicated servers to start?)

Yes and no. MS is making a number of servers from Azure available exclusively for use on XB1, but they're not free. Devs/pubs still have to pay to rent them. The upside for them, though, is that they get a nice discount, even if they're a small studio working on a small project. The upside for MS is that it allows them to leverage an existing part of their business to bring in more revenue.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

$1 says yes.

 

[GeeDuhb]

Yes and no. MS is making a number of servers from Azure available exclusively for use on XB1, but they're not free. Devs/pubs still have to pay to rent them. The upside for them, though, is that they get a nice discount, even if they're a small studio working on a small project. The upside for MS is that it allows them to leverage an existing part of their business to bring in more revenue.

Gotcha, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Miles Quaritch]

The only deal is likely just a marketing deal. Acti is most likely using their own servers and not MS "cloud". Just like the rest of their games.

Just bf4 will do with EA.

Didn't Acti or MS say the exact opposite though? They were using Azure?

 

[Canis lupus]

I tweeted @YOSP regarding this twice last week, guess what?

No reply.

He gets 1000s of tweets and guess what? He replies to a handful of them and even less about 3rd party stuff.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Have they ever clarified what they means by dedicated servers?

Are these hosting servers? Or matchmaking servers?

Spoiler

Lol

They're game servers. That means no host migration, no host advantage, etc.

 

[Accident]

I would think it will. It's not a feature that makes the Xbox more attractive, it's a feature that makes Call of Duty more attractive. You'd think Activision would be completely open to deals with both sony and ms.

COD has more than 40 million monthly users. It doesn't need to become more attractive. There are million of gamers that play COD exclusively, and I'm sure that Sony is at least trying to get dedicated servers so they don't lose any of these players.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

Right and so it's just as likely there won't be any for this year. I don't think MS is above paying for spoken marketing points, but Activision is just as likely to omit features on other platforms to save a buck and Sony might feel it's an unnecessary feature. Especially seeing as they are most definitely going to outsell the Xbox and be the home of CoD for a lot of customers regardless.

Not if you look at everything else that's going on and connect the dots.

- The portion of Azure that's being made available for XB1 is called, "Thunderhead".
- Thunderhead's servers are exclusively available for XB1 - no other platforms, PC included.
- We've already seen confirmation that Ghosts will have dedis for PC, so...
- They've obviously either struck a deal with somebody to host those, or they're doing it themselves.
- Activision can get a sweetheart deal on servers for a COD game anywhere. Google, Amazon, Rackspace, etc. would all LOVE to have their business.
- They're paying for access to Thunderhead and whatever they're doing for PC, so it would appear that they're making a commitment to having dedicated servers in general.

Add to this the quotes from IW that I posted earlier in this thread, and I think there's plenty of reason to believe that all next-gen platforms will see servers this year. Now, here's hoping they've improved their netcode along with it.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

My thing is Sony is not trying to react to every Microsoft deal. Why should they? This is a no brainer. Sony, unlike Microsoft doesn't highlight every single thing that they do because they rather announce when ready. Microsoft reacting to everything is because they want to get the word out there to continue to sell itself to the general public.

Have we become so dense that everything someone does, someone else should as well?

 

[Duxxy3]

If dedicated servers are on PC and Xbox one, you can bet the PS4 will have them as well.

 

[USC-fan]

Didn't Acti or MS say the exact opposite though? They were using Azure?

You have to watch the PR wording. Because live matchmaking is "power by the cloud." But that doesnt mean the server that run the matches are.

So really any game that has live multiplayer is "power by the cloud." Its a bunch of PR talk to muddy the water.

You guy forget this company runs some of the biggest online game out there. They do not need MS servers to put any game online. Its silly...

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

.. or Sony just did not choose to come out and say "me too!" - my guess is that someone on the COD forums will ask, and the answer will be yes. Or Activision will put the info out themselves at some point. IMO.

Someone already asked and IW shied away from the question. I'd say they are still in talks. If they don't get them that really sucks.

If dedicated servers are on PC and Xbox one, you can bet the PS4 will have them as well.

Why do people assume this? Xbox has the servers for One, yeah Activision is renting them but at a discount and the infrastructure was already in place from MS. They (Acti) have never done dedis on console before, and the only reason they are doing them now is MS is making it easy. Unless Sony has some spare servers I'm not sure we'll see it on PS4.

My thing is Sony is not trying to react to every Microsoft deal. Why should they? This is a no brainer. Sony, unlike Microsoft doesn't highlight every single thing that they do because they rather announce when ready. Microsoft reacting to everything is because they want to get the word out there to continue to sell itself to the general public.

Have we become so dense that everything someone does, someone else should as well?

Having dedicated servers for one of the biggest shooters/games of the year is a pretty huge thing, you'd want to talk about it before people start pre-ordering and purchasing...

 

[Duxxy3]

Someone already asked and IW shied away from the question. I'd say they are still in talks. If they don't get them that really sucks.



Why do people assume this? Xbox has the servers for One, yeah Activision is renting them but at a discount and the infrastructure was already in place from MS. They (Acti) have never done dedis on console before, and the only reason they are doing them now is MS is making it easy. Unless Sony has some spare servers I'm not sure we'll see it on PS4.



Having dedicated servers for one of the biggest shooters/games of the year is a pretty huge thing, you'd want to talk about it before people start pre-ordering and purchasing...

I'm assuming it because the PC version has dedicated servers as well.

Xbox one version getting dedicated servers makes sense. Microsoft is renting them to publishers at a discounted rate.

But why would activision pay for dedicated servers for PC and not PS4? PC won't be using the xbox one servers, so there is no discount.

 

[SHADES]

He gets 1000s of tweets and guess what? He replies to a handful of them and even less about 3rd party stuff.

I'm fully aware of that but I picked a moment when he was answering others & I know others were asking the same question at that time so concluded its either a no or not at privilege to say at present time.

 

[Garrett 2U]

I'm assuming it because the PC version has dedicated servers as well.

Xbox one version getting dedicated servers makes sense. Microsoft is renting them to publishers at a discounted rate.

But why would activision pay for dedicated servers for PC and not PS4? PC won't be using the xbox one servers, so there is no discount.

PC players don't buy COD if there aren't dedicated servers, console players do.
PC has had dedicated servers for multiplayer since MW3.

 

[Duxxy3]

PC players don't buy COD if there aren't dedicated servers, console players do.

They don't?

This is news to me.

 

[Latvian Hitman]

My thing is Sony is not trying to react to every Microsoft deal. Why should they? This is a no brainer. Sony, unlike Microsoft doesn't highlight every single thing that they do because they rather announce when ready. Microsoft reacting to everything is because they want to get the word out there to continue to sell itself to the general public.

Have we become so dense that everything someone does, someone else should as well?

This isn't about Sony- it's about Activision/IW and what they want to do with the networking model for their next game. If Activision wants servers for COD, they can go anywhere and get a killer deal on them.

Someone already asked and IW shied away from the question. I'd say they are still in talks. If they don't get them that really sucks.

I think we're too close to launch now for them to still be in talks. They need to be doing MP network tests and refining their netcode by now or they're in trouble.

I'm assuming it because the PC version has dedicated servers as well.

Xbox one version getting dedicated servers makes sense. Microsoft is renting them to publishers at a discounted rate.

But why would activision pay for dedicated servers for PC and not PS4? PC won't be using the xbox one servers, so there is no discount.

For a COD game? Activision will get a nice discount anywhere they go.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

They don't?

This is news to me.

As mentioned, PC has had dedis for a few years now. Also yes, it does help the game sell on PC.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

I would in fact believe they would, but because of the MS+Infinity Ward moneyhat, we won't know if our PS4 Devkits offer dedicated servers until closer to launch.

 

[Garrett 2U]

I would in fact believe they would, but because of the MS+Infinity Ward moneyhat, we won't know if our PS4 Devkits offer dedicated servers until closer to launch.

What lol?

 

[Latvian Hitman]

As mentioned, PC has had dedis for a few years now. Also yes, it does help the game sell on PC.

Sort of. They brought dedis back for MW3, but only for unranked customs. Ranked play was still P2P. Black Ops 2 is the first game to use dedis for mainline multiplayer- so this is something they've been ramping up towards.

I have no idea whether they've been hosting these servers themselves or renting them, though. I'd be curious to know!

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Having dedicated servers for one of the biggest shooters/games of the year is a pretty huge thing, you'd want to talk about it before people start pre-ordering and purchasing...

Because the intent is to get Sony talking about it. It is important in a sense but people jumping the gun and coming to these conclusion that Sony might not is kind of ridiculous.

 

[BruiserBear]

Have we heard any further info on this? Does Infinity Ward still have it's hands tied on answering this question?

 

[RoboPlato]

Dedis are only confirmed for XBO right now. Nothing about any other platforms yet.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

see my earlier post.

Xbone giving that money to IW so they cannot say wether the PS4 or PC will have Dedicated servers until closer to launch.

 

[GalacticMouse]

I would in fact believe they would, but because of the MS+Infinity Ward moneyhat, we won't know if our PS4 Devkits offer dedicated servers until closer to launch.

So do you work for Activision/Infinity Ward?

 

[BruiserBear]

Hoping we can just get an answer to this question some time soon. Not sure why this is complicated. Maybe there was a one month embargo from the Gamescom announcement?


Would that be up this week?

 

[Aussie Legend]

I'm really over how silent Sony have been about their online, I know people who are picking up Xbox's rather than PS4's because of dedicated servers.

Sony, this is fucking important get your act together on this, wave those Rackspace servers in peoples faces... announce any game can have access to dedicated servers if they request it... SOMETHING

EDIT: To say something on topic, I'm pretty sure Dan Amarich has heavily hinted at more platforms having dedi servers, I'd bet my left nut PS4 is one of them.

 

[J-P]

I'm willing to bet 95% of COD players don't even know what dedicated servers are. Not saying they should, i just don't think they do.

 

[StoopKid]

I'm willing to bet 95% of COD players don't even know what dedicated servers are. Not saying they should, i just don't think they do.

They dont.

Its just something ppl can add to list wars.