Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has made some announcements this past week that have fans both curious and anxious about how infamous publisher Activision will handle monetization. A lot of gamers were concerned that the maligned Supply Drops mechanics would be returning from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. In a blog post, the company confirmed that they’re taking things a new direction by focusing and cosmetic and non-gameplay-affecting methods of making cash for this new game.
The new FPS from Infinity Ward and Activision has been the subject of a fair amount of speculation and controversy. With the much darker and more adult tone being questioned by some. The specter of excessive monetization techniques also looms heavy, but given that this is a “soft reboot”, expect some major changes. We know that the story is a bit more dynamic compared to previous entries in the franchise, but that’s just the start. New modes like Gunfight and the tense Special Ops offer new gameplay experiences as well.
And though the new game will not have any loot-based shenanigans to speak of, the FPS will feature some new game modes, something that gamers actually want, and a few things that some players will dislike.
As for the good news, of course there are no loot boxes. Also “the Battle Pass and the In-Game Store will feature a variety of cosmetic content that does not impact game balance,” Activision revealed.
On the bad side of things, there will be some microtransactions. For one thing, the new CoD game will have a Battle Pass system styled after the likes of Fortnite. Said battle pass will have various special unlocks, but any paid additions will not affect game balance according to the developers. Activision also plans to issue post-launch updates which bring new multiplayer maps and modes to the game. The latter of these two sets of additions will be free. Also, anything added to the game in these manners will be unlockable through gameplay, although in typical modern gaming fashion, expect a grind.
This battle pass system uses a premium currency called CoD points, which can be unlocked with normal play, and then spent in the in-game store for various items. In Activision’s own words, here’s a bit about how the whole thing works:
There will be both a Free Stream and a Premium Stream of content in the Battle Pass System in Modern Warfare. New base weapons will be earned through gameplay, simply by playing Modern Warfare. Functional attachments for base weapons can be unlocked through gameplay as well just like in the game’s Beta. The new Battle Pass system will allow players to see the content that they are earning or buying. Battle Passes will launch timed to new, post-launch live seasons, so you can unlock cool new Modern Warfare-themed content that matches each season.
However, the battle pass will not be included when the game launches next week. Activision says they are taking a little bit of extra development time to tune the content in this release, which could work out in their favor, we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s unclear what exactly the plan is for post-launch content, as details about all the new modes, maps and cosmetic items is still vague.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launches for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 25.
