Infinity Ward Promises No Subscription Fee for Call of Duty, for Now

By Ryan Fleming July 19, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The idea of charging for Call of Duty’s online games has been circulating for awhile now. When asked if he thought Call of Duty should be online, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, the publisher of the Call of Duty games, seemed under the impression that gamers were dying for the idea, going so far as to claim that fans were “clamoring” to give Activision their money, not to mention the additional fees that Xbox Live gamers pay. It seemed a slightly ridiculous claim, but then the industry started to sag.

After the disappointing June numbers for the industry were released, analysts began to line up with their advice on how to fix the woes of video games. Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter claimed that he knew how. In a recent report, Pachter claimed that part of the reason that the industry is experiencing slow sales is that the games that have deep online replayability are discouraging gamers from shelling out for new titles while they can still get enjoyment from old ones online. If you think it seems slightly ironic that the suggested solution for people not spending money is to charge them even more, then you are not alone.

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The story made the rounds, and gamers did not seem all that thrilled by the prospect of yet again paying Activision more money. Each of the two expansion packs for Modern Warfare cost a record-setting $15 apiece. People still bought them in record numbers, but they did so grudgingly. Then last night, a new YouTube video appeared online, claiming that a gamer accidentally came across a membership request to play Modern Warfare 2. While totally unsubstantiated, more than 35,000 views in one day suggest that people are taking the video at least somewhat seriously.

In answer to the growing concern, Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling addressed the video via Twitter, and while not denying its legitimacy, did state that Call of Duty would remain free.

“For the record, nobody has to pay to play Call of Duty or Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, nor will they.” Bowling said.

Again, these could all just be reactionary rumors, and the video could very easily be fake, but Call of Duty: Black Ops is due out November 9, and we haven’t heard much about its multiplayer. More on this if and when it develops.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

The best Perk-A-Colas in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

A screenshot from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's zombies mode.

There's nothing more refreshing than taking a nice big swig of a Perk-A-Cola during an intense Zombies match with your pals in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Besides tasting great (we assume), these colas empower you with buffs that will keep you alive until the later rounds. These bonuses are just as important as the Pack-A-Punch, but come in a wider range of flavors. It is possible to stack them all, but that gets expensive very fast so you need to be thrifty about choosing which ones are most valuable early on. These colas come in eight different types that may or may not be worth your Essence to chug. If you want to know which ones are the best in Black Ops 6, check out our ranking.
Best Perk-A-Colas in Black Ops 6

We're ranking these Perk-A-Colas based on their base bonuses, not any additional effects you can get if you Augment them, from best to worst.
Jugger-Nog
You can never go wrong with the classic Jugger-Nog. Increasing your health by 100 is useful for the entire duration of a Zombies mode, but especially in the early rounds. Going down is at best a major setback and at worst a cascade into defeat. This extra health allows you to get out of a bad situation that would otherwise end your run.
Quick Revive
This Perk has two components, with the less useful one being the ability to revive teammates 50% faster. Ideally, that shouldn't be needed but is nice. However, what makes it rank so high is the 50% shorter delay on health regen. Your health will come back over time in Zombies but at a dreadful pace. Starting to heal faster means less time running and kiting zombies around and more time in the action helping the team.
Speed Cola
The best early guns for Zombies mode have a large magazine, fast reload, or both. Running out of ammo at the wrong time and not being able to get more rounds in the chamber fast enough has ended many a run, but Speed Cola is the solution. It will speed up your reloads and armor plating by 30%. That's not a massive number, but fast enough to make the difference.
Stamin-Up
These zombies aren't the shambling types. They will chase you down like sprinters, and some of the monstrous ones can outpace you even at full tilt. Stamin-Up sounds like it would let you run for longer, but actually just lets you run faster since you have no limit on sprint in Black Ops 6. Positioning is everything in Zombies so being able to get where you need to be faster is never a bad thing, especially if it's a downed teammate bleeding out.
Deadshot Daiquiri
Every zombie has a weak spot, which is most often the head. Deadshot Daiquiri makes a critical hit hurt even more than normal, plus increases your auto-aim on those weak points when you aim down sights (ADS). That second part shouldn't factor much if you've got good aim, which is why this is only a decent Perk-A-Cola.
PhD Flopper
Not being able to hurt yourself is situationally useful, and the ability to cause an explosion by diving is a risky move. Yes, it's cool, but you don't want to be lying prone surrounded by zombies. This is a cool gimmick, but save yourself the Essence and skip it.
Elemental Pop
When Elemental Pop works, it's great. The problem with it is that you can't rely on it. It gives a small chance on every shot you take to add a random ammo mod effect, which is cool but impractical. If you have spare Essence on you, sure, it won't hurt you to have, but it isn't something that will turn the tide for you or your team.
Melee Macchiato
Finally, Melee Macchiato bottoms out the list. It is fine in the early game when the hordes are small and you're better off meleeing enemies since it will smack enemies away with each hit, but quickly drops off in usefulness. When the zombies get too strong and too numerous, you will need a lot more than a strong punch to deal with them and end up forgetting you even have it.

Gaming

How to get Double XP tokens in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Soldiers near a train in Black Ops 6.

Even with all the best tips and tricks, grinding your way through all the levels in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will take you a long time. Each level will take more and more XP to reach and can eventually feel like a chore, even if you swap over to Zombies mode. As has been the case for many entries now, Double XP tokens exist as a way to speed up the grind by doubling the amount of experience you earn for a set duration of time. Naturally, these are some of the most sought-after items in the game, but they're not so easy to come by. If you need a helpful XP boost while running games with your squad, here's every way you can get more Double XP tokens in Black Ops 6.
How to get Double XP tokens in Black Ops 6

There are a few ways to get Double XP tokens, but not all of them are free. We'll start with the ways you can earn them in-game before talking about the more costly options.
Prestige
Who deserves a Double XP token more than someone who has grinded all the way to level 55? Once you hit max level and opt to Prestige, you will get a one-hour Double XP token, which is the longest length they come in.
Follow Call of Duty's socials
The official Call of Duty X (formerly Twitter) account regularly posts opportunities to earn several Double XP tokens if you engage with the post. This is a quick and easy way to snag some free tokens.
Purchase the C.O.D.E. Endeavor Tracer Pack
Our first paid option is the extra DLC Endeavor Tracer Pack. Besides some cosmetics, you also get two Double XP tokens (one player and one weapon) that last an hour each.
Drinks and pizza
The two main brand promotions with Black Ops 6 this year are tied to Monster Energy and Little Caesars. Buying a marked can or purchasing a qualifying item will get you a small handful of rewards that include Double XP tokens.
Battle Pass
The Black Ops 6 battle pass isn't out at the time of this writing, but we do know that it will include Double XP tokens among its rewards. There will be both a free and paid version of the pass, but details about what can be unlocked in each version are not yet available. To be safe, we're assuming you will need to buy the pass to get these tokens.

Gaming

War is hell, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 makes it a carnival game

Zombies shambling in Black Ops 6.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who play Call of Duty and those who don’t. For three glorious hours, I was finally part of the former. Then it all came crashing down in a hail of gunfire.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is out now and it's being hailed as a return to greatness for the struggling series. Critics have praised features like its game-changing Omnimovement and welcomed the return of round-based Zombies mode. The star attraction, though, is this installment’s campaign. After years of experimental failures, Black Ops 6 delivers a straightforward political thriller full of eclectic missions. It’s a great premise, one that allows developer Raven to goof around with a “gone rogue” story featuring characters like Russel Adler.