Activision, publisher of popular video game series like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, now officially sucks. It was blipping the radar-of-crap by continuing to release new “Hero” music games every 2 weeks, driving the rhythm based band game genre into the ground at an exponential rate (did anyone seriously buy DJ Hero?). Then it released Tony Hawk Ride – and charged $120 for it. Now Activision is charging $15 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s first additional map pack and it doesn’t look worth its price tag.
I know it’s naive of me to think of a big publisher considering anything but its bottom line, but I had high hopes for Activision with the Call of Duty series. When MW2 became the biggest entertainment release EVER, taking in about half a billion dollars in its first week, I hoped Activision might release some free DLC as a “thank you” to all the loyal fans. I quickly snapped out of what must have been a serious drug induced high and then hoped it would at least keep the cost for more multiplayer maps around $5. If not as a thank you, at least because the MW2 install base is so large, getting another $5 from everyone who owns a copy would still make a load of money.
Alas, Activision acted like the money grubbing corporation we expect it to be and is charging way too much for something that isn’t worth the cost. The map pack gives you 5 new maps to play on. Check that, the map pack gives you 3 new maps and 2 popular maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the first game in the Modern Warfare Series). That’s right, 40% of what you’re paying for had already been created in the last version of the game.
I know you’re thinking, “Vijay, quit your bitching – it’s not like you HAVE to buy it”. You’re right, I don’t and I won’t. It’s just a shame, because rarely am I willing to waste my almost non-existant expendable income on buying DLC for a game I already spent $60 on to buy. But come on Activision, another $15 is just way too much.
