Valve apologizes for banning over 12,000 legit Modern Warfare 2 players originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Modern Warfare 2 subscription message dismissed as 'just a glitch' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Activision, Infinity Ward and Treyarch all piled on for a collective denial yesterday that a "Call of Duty" video contains evidence of a plot to charge for playing online. In fact, despite CEO Bobby Kotick's public admission that he "would have Call of Duty be an online subscription service tomorrow" if he could, representatives from all three offices shot down the speculation as rumor, and Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling even went as far as to use the word "never."

"There is not, and will never be, additional fees required to subscribe and play 'Modern Warfare 2' multiplayer," Bowling wrote on his blog at FourZeroTwo.com.

Likewise, Activision social media manager Dan Amrich, called the video a "glitch" and denied that any such plans for an additional subscription-based service were in the works for "MW2."

"This video shows just a glitch — since you can access a Live subscription renewal from within the MW2 game interface, it appears some data got jammed between two parts of Live," he wrote on his One of Swords blog. "It's not a secret portal to some nefarious plot to charge people for COD multiplayer — and there are no plans to do that."

Lastly, Treyarch community manager Josh Olin chimed in on Twitter, probably hoping to put potential "Black Ops" pre-orderers' fears at rest about the CoD series' next installment.

"No, you will not have to 'Pay to Play' #CODBlackOps Multiplayer either. Rumor -> Squashed," he explained.

That's about as comprehensive a denial as you're liable to see anywhere in the video game industry this year. Activision also gave an official statement to IGN that more or less restates what all three of these guys said. Their responses do paint Kotick's comment to The Wall Street Journal into a strange place, though. It looks like his dream model will be getting applied to another game or not at all, unless Activision changes its mind down the road, of course.

Are you glad to know that Activision doesn't want to introduce subscription fees to "MW2"? Are you surprised by the three-pronged response? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Activision wants a way to charge for online "Call of Duty" play. Whether or not a video posted by a message board user Sunday represents a first look at what their strategy looks like remains to be seen, but the "Modern Warfare 2" player claims to have evidence that new options appeared on the Xbox Live menu.

"I was trying to join a friend's session on 'MW2' the other day and had this screen pop up. It clearly says at the top of this menu: 'Modern Warfare 2 Membersh,' in which we can confidently assume that the last word is 'Memberships,' board member PwnShop posted on 360Junkies.com. "If you'll notice at the bottom is an option to 'Add Microsoft Points,' clearly indicating that this was intended to be a menu for purchasing different levels of Membership, presumably memberships would have been offered in a variety of durations."

PwnShop posted a video from YouTube that appears to show these messages. The authenticity of the footage hasn't been verified yet, and it wouldn't be the first time someone that someone had faked a CoD rumor. Nevertheless, the new memberships would represent an initiative in line with wishes that CEO Bobby Kotick has pondered aloud and on the record in the past.

Would you pay an extra fee to play "MW2" online? Do you think the video is real? Share your responses in the comment section below.

Report: Infinity Ward suit updated, claims Activision created 'police state' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Buy Modern Warfare 2 bundle from Direct2Drive, get Modern Warfare free

Buy Modern Warfare 2 bundle from Direct2Drive, get Modern Warfare free originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infinity Ward still has plenty of map pack support left in their future for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," but with recent senior position vacancies and replacements, the question has been up in the air as to whether the Call of Duty franchise would still have a home there. Asked if Infinity Ward would in fact be working on a Call of Duty game next, Activision EVP of studios Dave Stohl kept Infinity Ward's options open, but indicated that new franchises would be part of the picture going forward.

"We're not saying right now," Stohl told VG247. "There is definitely a strong shooter philosophy there, for sure. And I think that there’s a short- and long-term view on the whole thing. But I think we’re rebuilding a studio that can go off and build great new franchises in the future."

Infinity Ward recently opened up a phone line for voicemails in the wake of the significant transition period that the staff there is now going through. Since the departure of former bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella, the fate of the studio's creative direction has been publicly uncertain, but a establishing a new franchise might help to refresh Infinity Wards branding with gamers.

What do you think Infinity Ward's next project should be? Would you rather see them stick with Call of Duty or develop something new? Share your opinions in the comment section below.

Infinity Ward has arrived at a transition period, for better or worse. Despite all of the petition-sparking criticism that "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" received last year, the game still managed to become one of the most successful launches of all time. In the wake of recent map pack releases and documented lawsuit drama surrounding bonuses and key developer departures, though, Activision and their studio have a PR hurdle to get over as they plot their course for Infinity Ward's next project. The first step appears to be opening up a phone number that you can call to share your concerns.

"You can now call or text (402) 500-0119 to give feedback, ask questions, or just leave a rant thanks to Google Voice," Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling wrote this week on his Twitter account. "Accessibility ftw!"

As far as how those questions will be answered or processed, that part of the new initiative isn't entirely clear, but just taking the step to open up a line of communication for the kind of complaints that anything Activision/Infinity Ward-related tends to stir up on comment threads lately is a significant one.

How things pan out publicly between Activision and Infinity Ward's estranged employees will undoubtedly go a long way toward influencing public opinion as well. So will rebuilding the studio's senior creative ranks and proving their mettle in their next game. However you feel about them, though, you now have a number to call.

What do you think the future holds for Infinity Ward? Do you plan on calling their voicemail number? Share your opinions in the comment section below.

Hey, remember that fancy new map pack that just came out for "Modern Warfare 2" on Xbox 360? Didn't it bug you that your platform of choice got bupkiss while those Microsoft fans were crawling greedily over their new content? Well, you'll be happy to know that your angry hand-wringing will come to an end on July 6th, when the "Resurgence Pack" drops on PS3 and PC.

Selling for $15, the pack adds five maps to "Modern Warfare 2":

Fuel
This wide-open map set around an oil refinery is one of the largest yet seen in "Modern Warfare 2." Separated between two main buildings, the design encourages a focus on rooftop sniping, as well as window-to-window combat.

Trailer Park
Much smaller and more cramped than Fuel, Trailer Park takes place in and around a variety of motor homes and picnic tables. The tightly spaced lots mean numerous corridors and choke points, so if you're lacking in quick reflexes, you're going to have some trouble here.

Carnival
The only thing scarier than clowns? Nothing. But guys with guns is a close second. Carnival takes place on abandoned fairgrounds, with rides and attractions left to rust. The map is broken up into themed areas ranging from the futuristic to the medieval, and players can use obvious landmarks such as castles and rocket ships to coordinate their efforts.

Strike
Returning from the original "Modern Warfare," Strike features a Mideast setting and some reasonably frantic urban combat. Small changes were made to some of the buildings in Strike, requiring new tactics for success.

Vacant
Set in an abandoned Russian office complex, Vacant is the second returning map. Its popularity peaked during the original "Modern Warfare" beta, so its return should be appreciated by many. The developers made some tweaks to the layout of the map, though, so players should take it slow the first time through.

• Vacant -- the wide open Russian office complex from CoD4
• Strike -- the urban town surrounded by hotels from CoD4
• Carnival -- an abandoned carnival area with a Ferris wheel, fun house and other attractions
• Trailer Park -- full of "super tight corridors" and featuring a pool
• Fuel -- a "sniper haven" based in and around an oil refinery

Gallery: Modern Warfare 2 - Resurgence Map Pack

Modern Warfare 2 'Resurgence Package' DLC strikes PS3/PC on July 6 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.