Yesterday, we learned that DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will hit the Xbox LIVE Marketplace March 30th. The “Stimulus Package” will include three brand new maps, “Bailout” which is a multi-layered apartment complex, “Storm” an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery, and “Salvage” a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars. It will also bring back two classic Call of Duty 4 maps, “Overgrown” and “Crash”.
Activision has decided that these five maps are worth 1,200 Microsoft Points, or in other words $15. The $5 increase is sure to turn some heads and begs the question, are they worth it?
Modern Warfare 2 has dominated the Xbox Live charts for the past two weeks. The title is number one, beating out its “rival” Battlefield: Bad Company 2. DICE has clearly stated that it wants to knock Call of Duty off its pedestal. But since the game is not selling well enough to do so, Activision still feels that they are in a market without competition.
They know that gamers will buy their content, if they simply slap the Call of Duty name on to it. This sudden price increase shouldn’t be a surprise, yet somehow it is. The franchise has done so well that this spike in price may become permanent due to the fact that Activision has confidence in their titles, which is not a bad thing. The company will continue to charge extra for games and DLC until they feel that there are viable competitors to their franchises.
The one thing that DICE has going for it at the moment, is that the two maps they are releasing happen to be free. Meaning they can chalk this one up as a “win” despite the fact that the company made no money. This is where Activision underestimates the potential of DICE’s title.
But, the company has still not found their niche in the console market. If they continue to build their reputability as a company, maybe the next installments will overtake the Call of Duty franchise. But until that glorious day comes, I’m going to go prestige again.
