920°

XBL $10 price hike was caused by ACTIVISION

Bobby Kotick CEO of Activision once said that “We’ve heard that 60 per cent of [Microsoft’s] subscribers are principally on Live because of Call Of Duty, we don’t really participate financially in that income stream." but to the recent XBL $10 price hike that was announced in August and implemented on November 1st, Kotick has totally changed mood now he is saying "Activision does enjoy a very modest amount of the subscription fees".

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T9X694917d ago

Considering COD is the biggest game on PS3 as well, I wonder if this jackass is going to try to start charging PS3 users to play COD online in the future. This guy is such a money hungry prick, I almost feel insulted buying Black Ops new even though I support Treyarch but despise Activision, mainly Kotick.

ajcastillo4917d ago

And now it even doesnt matter if you dont buy any CALL OF DUTY GAME, because if you pay the XBOX LIVE GOLD suscription you are giving them $5.

blumatt4917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

The day Activision starts charging to play CoD online on the PS3, is the day I will STOP playing CoD games. Personally, I like Battlefield BC2 (PS3) better anyway. And like the guy above me said, if this article is true, it would mean that regardless of whether Xbox Live Gold people PLAY CoD, they're STILL giving Activision a little bit of money.
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Hell what if other devs. demand a little piece of the pie and want some of Live's subscription fees? I guess Live Gold will eventually be up to around $100 a year. Where does this greed stop?? MS needs to tell Activision to go to hell and not give them anymore money. Hell, they just made over half a billion dollars from Black Ops. Jeez

Godmars2904917d ago

More likely, since this puts them more in bed with MS, it probably means the 360 will get more Activision titles. If COD doesn't go exclusive, since it might also mean PS3-only owners might buy a 360 to play COD.

Biggest4917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

He'll be greatly disappointed if something like that comes around. I doubt more than 10% of PS3 gamers would pay to play CoD online. One of the draws to PSN has always been the fact that it's free. Changing that would make people leave CoD and PSN. Sony wouldn't allow it.

Edit: One outcome I could see would be Activision and EA furthering their partnerships with Xbox and Playstation and every year we would have CoD vs. MoH.

OtherWhiteMeat4917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

@Godmars290
Making COD or any other game an Xbox 360 exclusive wouldn't make any financial sense,both consoles combined are nearly 90 million so why cut your sales nearly in half. Timed DLC from Activision is how this battle will be fought.

T9X694917d ago

Money talks. MS paid $50 million dollars for timed exclusive DLC, not even a game, 50 mill for some fucking DLC. I wouldn't be surprised if MS offers them money to make COD exclusive to 360. If that doesn't happen, I bet your ass that pick Kotick will be telling Sony he wants to charge a separate online monthly fee for COD on PS3. Kotick wants more, more, more, if he can squeeze 50 cents out of COD on PS3 a month, that POS will do it.

IronAva4917d ago

@Biggest

So if Sony said you have to pay $20 a month to play GT5 online, there would be a ton of people on here saying that is not a bad deal. Games are like drugs, people will go where ever they have to to get their fix. Also why does it matter what a company does with the money you give them? I could care less if the guy that runs the carry-out near my house uses the money I gave him to fulfill his dirty habits. If you really knew what other companies did with their money, most of you on here would not buy a thing.

The Wood4917d ago

Whatever ms paid activision to make it exclusive wouldn't be enough. Activision loves money as you can see so why would they lose out on all those extra map packs on top of the ps3 version itself....not over koticks dead body

JUDALATION4917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

LMAO NO WONDER XBOX has the better verson... Lucky for me Im in the Killzone 3 Beta and its a thousand times better than Black ops... alls they need to do is add more guns, fix the spawns and matchmaking to make this the greatest fps of all time... eat THAT kotass!

Oh... and by the way... MAG and socom 4 WHOOP call of dutys arse as well!

Biggest4917d ago

You can say whatever you want to make you feel better about whatever it is you need to feel better about, IronAva. The truth is that people don't have to pay for PSN and they won't have to pay for PSN. Call of Duty is all about the online experience these days. Gran Turismo 5 is not. People that care about Gran Turismo might like having online as a feature, but it isn't something they need to play the game. Since it won't happen, this is a pointless conversation (Good job trolling). Gran Turismo 5 would not be played online by very many people if they added a cost. Sorry, bro.

IronAva4917d ago

@Biggest

Again, what I said has nothing to do with making me feel better. Hey to make "YOU" feel better lets change GT5(even though it has an online option) to Killzone 3 is that better for you. If Sony or even Nintendo were to charge for one of their big titles to play online, people will pay. How am I a troll when I said nothing at all to attack you or this board. People are quick to judge if one does not agree with their opinion.

VenomProject4917d ago

@IronAva

Who would PAY to play a video game like an FPS?

MMOs, I can understand, it's almost like a second life and there's so much content. An FPS though? Yeah, not even Killzone 3 would make me PAY to play online.

Screw that.

Muffins12234917d ago Show
4917d ago
evrfighter4917d ago

i called it. i don't feel like browsing my history but ya

psman0124917d ago

T9X69, I think this is the first time I have ever seen a comment of yours that has more agrees than disagrees :P

DaTruth4917d ago

Can't believe none of you have figured it out yet!

Why do you think the game is advertised like a 360 exclusive?

+ Show (16) more repliesLast reply 4917d ago
dredgewalker4917d ago

I've already written off Activision games from my list. I would gladly miss out on some of their good games than to give them a piece of my hard earned money.

OtherWhiteMeat4917d ago

Or you could just buy them used.Activision doesn't make a dime on used game sales.

Sevir044917d ago

to activision! so buying it used doesn't matter if you ARE on XBL and a PAYING gold member!!! so 360 gamers and fanboys get screwed regardless!.. and i wouldn't doubt this seeing as MS is in bed with activision. they paid 3 years provisions of exclusive content for all things COD for the xbox platform! This little transaction was probably part of the deal to raise XBL prices since this was announced in June, THE SAME MONTH they announced the 3 year exclusive deal with activision at E3 for all things COD! so i believe this is true!!! MS raised prices of XBL so gamers on the 360 could be weaseled into paying activition a subscription to COD!!! LOL! its funny but i feel bad.

Years ago it was EA with the bad Name Now it's activision and its couldnt be more accurate. these bastards along with their head honcho Kotic and MS is screwing the gamers pocket in this recession!

Thank Goodness for the PSN and i'm glad i dont own a single activision title. Some how i'm suddenly turned off Bungie's next game as it bears the name activision as it's publisher! NONE OF my Money will go to activision! NONE! i'll just borrow my friends copy of Bungie's next game on PS3!

vhero4917d ago

Technically he does but not because ppl subscribe. It works like this. Suckers pay MS for playing games online (suckers as you can play for FREE on PS3 and PC) they don't give a percentage to companies, what they do is use money from Live to pay for exclusive content e.g. early map packs in activisions case.

princejb1344917d ago

so in the end xbl owners get fucked and psn owners dont
this game is not worth the extra 60 cents to play online
so many dam glitches

BillOreilly4917d ago

well the ps3 vesion is glitched and shit but the 360 version is acually good. Just saying. Damn those ms suckers getting good versions and exclusive maps/games/features. Baa Humbug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

visualb4917d ago

and who gave this man so much power? WHO?

the gamers who bought this mans games =)

you are to blame above all...sorry to say ='(

like the saying "the people get the leader they deserve"

in this case

the gamers get the extortion they deserve...they did vote with their own money after all...sad =(

Eddie201014917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

Activision and Kotick are the Mafia of the gaming industry, seems a bit like extortion except Microsoft won't take the hit and instead pass the extortion buck to the consumer and then add an extra fiver on for good measure for Microsoft. The shot that's gone down this generation of gaming consoles is unbelievable.

pixelsword4917d ago

Hey, I thought it was because of all of those "great" features that they hiked up the price?

Well xbl/non-net neutrality fans, you were all fine and dandy before you knew so don't complain now.

iamtehpwn4917d ago (Edited 4917d ago )

So, has anyone else noticed that Bobby's smile looks an awful lot like.. http://img829.imageshack.us...

CrIpPeN4917d ago

he got a face you just want to punch in the face.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4917d ago
thematrix12984917d ago

Vince and Jason left IW because Activision wanted to charge monthly fee for their next MW. Those guys were gamers once and understand how loyal fans would react. Bobby is a greedy d1ck. I hope to god that their monthly subscription COD fails so bad that stock holders all sell the stocks.

CrIpPeN4917d ago

yeah they probably put COD to see the ground as Tony Hawks and Guitar Hero.

Muffins12234917d ago

him and the president of valve

scar204917d ago

Wow dat sux big time for you 360 players.
I think his momma deserves this.

gypsygib4917d ago

That's why he doesn't care about PS3

rob60214917d ago

yea no wonder they put half the effort into the PS3 version - now it makes sense, they actually want people buying it on the 360 instead.

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220°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

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spieltimes.com
Sonic18819h ago(Edited 9h ago)

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo6h ago(Edited 6h ago)

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

SonyStyled5h ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

Ms3tjt3h ago

“ Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. ”

Aka

“I don’t know how business works”

Domkakop1h ago

You might need to take a good hard look in the mirror

Ms3tjt1h ago

Yeah I forgot Xbox is separate from Microsoft and Xbox borrowed the 69bn from Microsoft, and Microsoft didn’t get COD, Candy crush etc in return 😂😂👏

jwillj2k49h ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot7h ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

RNTody8h ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

anast7h ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19797h ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

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90°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai1d 22h ago (Edited 1d 22h ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead1d 22h ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel1d 20h ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

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210°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

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eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow2d ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo1821d 8h ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

Rynxie23h ago

And why do you think MLB said that? I believe Ms approached MLB.

ApocalypseShadow22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

Totally ridiculous comment.

The only exclusivity Sony had was to their own creation of The Show. Microsoft could have paid the MLB for the license just like Sony did and made their own baseball game.

Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox. They're worth 3 TRILLION dollars. You think that's not enough money to make their own baseball game? Don't be delusional.

Microsoft spun it like they always do and told the media that they had to trust Sony with their hardware. After they put Sony in that position of not having a choice. Either go multiplatform or stop making one of their successful games. That's a no win scenario.

And what did Microsoft do? They didn't try to sell the game to the Xbox community. They put it on game pass to hurt Sony. Pushing the idea of why buy games that are $70 when you can play them in their cheap service for $10. It was a dirty tactic.

You fell for the Kool aid drink Microsoft served you instead of spitting it out. Hope it tasted good because you were fooled by Phil and the gang.

17h ago
Hereandthere14h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Bond revealed that MLB The Show “always came up” in conversations between Microsoft and the Major League Baseball organization. “We always said, ‘We love this game. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it to Xbox.'” she recalled. However, when Microsoft’s efforts materialized, it put the company in an awkward situation where it had to send in pre-release consoles to a rival company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 14h ago
Notellin19h ago

"Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox."

Take a nap, conspiracies are rotting your brain.

17h ago
Hereandthere14h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

ApocalypseShadow4m ago

Lying to yourself is unbecoming.

Article link tells you all you need to know in Sarah Bond's own words.

Hereandthere14h ago

They were too cheap/inept/lazy to develop their own mlb game, so they port begged for years and bribed the mlb to make the show multiplatform. Like i said many times, xbox brought nothing to the table their 24 years, ZERO.

ApocalypseShadow20m ago

At least you and others get it. Note drank the Kool aid and asked for seconds thinking it was refreshing.

Most don't even know how it all played out but it's there in black and white for all to see. Microsoft brought it up for years until the MLB forced Sony's hand. It was a win win for Microsoft. Kill one reason to buy a PlayStation or kill the game by dropping it in a cheap service to kill Sony's sales numbers on PlayStation.

OtterX1d 11h ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

RNTody1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno1d 10h ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Sheppard7t31d 8h ago

How did Sony kill the series?

Inverno1d 8h ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

17h ago
fsfsxii19h ago

They shutdown the servers because no one was playing, no one in the community cared about the user created levels so why keep them up? Wtf you guys would never succeed in running a business.

Inverno18h ago

Yea dood no one was playing so they shut off the servers. Cause people with enough common sense can't just Google why they were actually shut of, right?

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