Activision mulls 'COD' online charging

Activision executive Tom Tippl has revealed plans to start charging gamers for certain aspects of online play in the Call Of Duty series.

According to IGN, Tippl wants to capitalise on the massive uptake in online multiplayer for titles such as COD: Modern Warfare 2.

"It's definitely an aspiration that we see potential in, particularly as we look at different business models to monetise the online gameplay. There's good knowledge exchange happening between the Blizzard folks and our online guys," he said during a business conference.

"We have great experience also on Call Of Duty with the success we had on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. A lot of that knowledge is getting actually built into the Battle.Net platform and the design of that.

"I think it's been mutually beneficial, and you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetisation models of some of some of our biggest franchises like Call Of Duty."

Blizzard, Activision's partner division, has built a strong reputation for pioneering online monetisation on its World of Warcraft franchise. Tippl said that he is confident shooter fans would be equally willing to spend money on appropriate paid-for online extras.

"Our gamers are telling us there's lots of services and innovation they would like to see that they're not getting yet," he said.

"From what we see so far, additional content, as well as all the services Blizzard is offering, is that there is demand from the core gamers to pay up for that."

Among options being considered for charging Call Of Duty users is a monthly subscription which opens up additional multiplayer modes and future bonuses.