Multiplayer: Free with every copy of COD: Black Ops

When launching COD: Black Ops the developers often give us helpful mesages at the bottom of the screen. Such as: how many players have been killed, or how many faces have been painted or how many weapons attachments have been unlocked. But recently I have noticed quite a strange mesage. ”Multiplayer: Free with every copy of Black Ops.”

[S_C]

Well For Me COD has long passed its sell buy date now, my focus is firmly on homefront, Crysis 2 Battlefield 3 and Gears of War 3

[Redman22]

This probbly has to do with the investigation going on over in Europe.

So since it's free you can't complain and they aren't libel for anything. What a bunch of fucking bullshit since we pay for DLC, shouldn't that be free also? I mean I've already paid for the SP right.

Activision you know that's shit's not going to fly in court, right? lol You're screwed.

Oh and fffuuu Activision!

[Soldierone]

It has nothing to do with that at all. This message has been on the bottom of BO since the very first day it released.

Its an attack on EA more than anything. EA makes you get online pass codes, only new copies have it. This is simply stating "yeah we dont do that" It was Treyarch that put it in, not Activision. You know very well Acti would be like "hey free money"

[DaCajun]

Soldiernone is right it has been shown on the screen since the game launch. But you have to admit it does work to there advantage saying it is free since there is so many complaints about that garbage MP.

I hate how companies try to make people think they are getting free stuff, when if people just had common sense you would know you are paying for it one way or another. Like the saying goes "nothing in life is free" not even death, someone has to pay for it.

All the fools fall for it. "Free with every purchase". So if I give the game back for my money can I still keep the MP and play it? just like some companies say "You get all this free stuff with your subscription". So how is it free if I have to pay for a subscription?

[Anon1974]

I don't see what the big deal is. Microsoft has charged for multiplayer on the Xbox and the Xbox 360 for over a decade now. Where's the outrage there? WOW has charged for online play since the start. There's a tonne of games that charge to play online. What's the big deal if Call of Duty goes pay to play?

However, it'd be a cold day in hell that I'd buy their product when there are so many other capable shooters available that don't charge online. Vote with your wallet.

[hiredhelp]

This message has always been there from day 1. i was wondering when somebody would pick up on this. when i saw this made me fairly angury that they ask a extra money. then put this in. wtf.

[ReservoirDog316]

Been there since day 1. I think it's a joke about how EA charged for an online pass for MoH.

Read that months ago.

[SuperSaiyan4]

It HAS to be a dig at EA because with copies of USED games EA then asks for a lovely amount of your points/money for an ONLINE PASS. However Activision don't do this clever business tactic from EA however with Activision promoting its FREE online gaming doesn't change the fact that Activision are now the once EVIL EA.

[ExPresident]

And then oddly enough Activision turns around and charges $15 for overpriced maps, rendering the $10 fee of the EA code for used games mute.

[Soldierone]

Yeah and you also get what you pay for. Last time I checked EA had better servers for their games.

[itsralf]

@Soldierone

I don't think that extra money goes towards servers or anything... I just assumed the online pass is to discourage people from buying used copies. Used Dead Space 2 at Gamestop sells for $55. Gotta pay an extra $10 to play online, though. So $65 for a used game. May as well get a new copy for the same price. (Or less if you buy it online to avoid taxes)

[bwazy]

This is EXACTLY what it is. I remember reading about it somewhere.

[LoaMcLoa]

Unbalance and Bugs: Free with every copy of COD since Modern Warfare

[elmaton98]

That what it should say.

[MysticStrummer]

Shouldn't they add "unless you play on XBL"?

[TIKUP]

You dont pay just so you can play black ops on xbox, online. You pay to be a gold customer to play online on ALL games you idiot!

[elmaton98]

Your the idiot because I agree that you use live for other things but activision get a profit from it that why it went 10$ up.

[DeFFeR]

The $10 increase wasn't to give Activision a cut...

The $10 increase was to support the addition of new "features" like ESPN, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Hulu +(coming), Last.fm, and others. Sure - I'm sure that some of it is just because they want more profit - but I can almost assure you that it's not to give Activision a cut. If it was - they wouldn't have free MP on PS3.

[elmaton98]

when a company see money coming from a source
(whichever it is) they gonna try to get more money out of it, that how it is and acti see more money coming from the xbox 360 but i could be wrong. in the near future will see COD to be a paid subscription youll see.

[MysticStrummer]

@Tikup - LOL Thanks for making my joke funnier. You're right, all games should have the same message. Free to Play Online !!! (unless you play on XBL)

[Soldierone]

@DeFFeR

Dont be fooled. Netflix, ESPN, etc...all get a share of money for being with Microsoft. Netflix pays MS to put their service on Xbox, therefore they have a stronger customer base. They work together to offer each other services to better their own products.

That ten dollar increase was nothing more than "hey we could raise it ten dollars and everyone will still pay!" If it wasn't then how does Sony get all those services and not charge for PSN at all.

[TIKUP]

Btw the new zombies is sick!

[DeFFeR]

Not for $15 it isn't.

[TIKUP]

It is when it's free! (Game shared from my mate)

[elmaton98]

it might be but to be honest, i like dead ops mode a lot which is way different from the multy and zombies.

[Rubberlegs]

Its been saying that since the day the game came out.

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Ok so Black Ops is crap and now they might charge to play a crap game that's broken? Regardless I'm not paying on top of paying for Xbox Live and Black Ops is the last CoD game for me. Too many games coming out this year like Battlefield 3 and Gears of War 3, games that Developers put time and effor into.

[DeFFeR]

We'll see in November if you hold to your word...

[plb]

I play bfbc2

[jizzyjones]

I dont care for a broken game that cost £5 more than every other on the market, has timed exclusive DLC that is massively overpriced, has a whopping 4 hour campaign, is out every year on its Quake3 engine that plays like an ott arcade game. Ive not touched it since I picked up Bad company2 an I was sold of BF3 as soon as I heard 'frostbite 2.0'.

Goodbye Call of Duty.

[MARKUS_MAX1MUS]

not entirely true, the only thing it costs you is your brain, its numbing to run around like a headless chicken and painful to listen to the 15 year olds on there.

[jwk94]

It's funny because you still have to pay for Xbox Live.

[AntiHeroComplex]

i was surprised when my new copy of deadspace 2 arrived with an online pass from EA. Since i buy most of my games used, i realized this is the last game i will buy from them. Sucks but what can you do. gotta vote with your wallet.

[Ducky]

You won't buy used EA games?

I wonder if EA considers that as 'Mission Accomplished'

EDIT: I believe THQ has a pass for Homefront (or were considering it... not sure)
I don't know how EA handles pricing for console, but PC games published by EA drop in price like a brick.
DeadSpace2 is down to $40, regular price. =S

Though I'd assume that people would sell those used games at a cheaper price to off-set the online pass.

[AntiHeroComplex]

possibly, i mean it makes no difference to me. EA is the only publisher with this Online pass idea right now anyway so its not like i dont have games to choose from. I suppose im in luck as i dont terribly love any of their games. I like many (like dead space)... but nothing i cant do without.

I dont want to pay $60 for games.. not b/c im cheap but b/c my goal is to build a huge game library. And if i can get 3 games at 20$ each instead of 1 60$, then that makes sense to me.

[Strakken]

i want them to add a sub fee just to see what happened

[Breadisgood]

Why is this article even on a news site? It's been there since launch ffs.

And it's not a dig at EA, it's just a joke about how it was rumoured that CoD would start to have subscription fees.

Also you people moaning about EA's online pass are morons. They have every right to try and get people to buy games new, since they don't get money from used sales. Plus, the added incentive to buy it new will make second hand prices go down, so if you're determined to get it cheaper it will still probably work out ok for you.

[Josh_Squire]

Your kidding me right? That message has been displayed at the bottom since the first day it was released. And it was only a joke meaning when you buy Call of Duty: Black Ops you get the Singleplayer game + Multiplayer for "free".

[Masterchef2007]

Activision will probably have online passes for their future titles so they can make money off used copies.

[EazyC]

Hopefully the addition of a fee to pay will bury CoD for good. No-one is that stupid.... Then again, the CoD fanbase knows no bounds...

[turgore]

hopefully they do start charging and then battlefield 3 comes along :)...oh how the mighty have fallen.