Summary

  • The main flaw of Call of Duty's rapid release schedule is the division of the player base with each new game.
  • A subscription service could help consolidate the player base and avoid player division.
  • However, a subscription service may have cons like requiring players to be always online and the potential high price due to involvement of multiple development studios.

The Call of Duty franchise has always had a relatively fast release schedule for new games in the series, with the past few installments even having as little as one year between their releases. While it is impressive that the franchise has consistently maintained this pace for as long as it has, Call of Duty’s frequent release schedule isn’t without its downsides.

The main flaw with the CoD franchise’s rapid release schedule is that the player base inevitably gets divided every time that a new game becomes available. One such way to address this is for the CoD franchise to offer a subscription service that provides players the opportunity to play the newest games in the franchise upon release, as well as some of the older fan favorites.

Why Call of Duty Should Consider Offering a Subscription Service

Call of Duty 2 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty Modern Warfare

Although the playerbase dividing upon every new game’s release is a long-running problem for the franchise, this has never stopped the latest CoD games from reaching record player counts and sales. Still though, considering that many players remain committed to some of the older CoD games, it might be best to address the franchise’s divided playerbase before it ever reaches the point of being detrimental.

Cons of a Subscription Service

  • A subscription service might require players to be always online to utilize
  • Game ownership is temporary
  • Too many development studios involved could mean it has a high price
  • Providing access to older CoD games would be counterintuitive to addressing the divided playerbase

Pros of a Subscription Service

  • Most CoD games are still full-price, so a subscription could be valuable for players who frequently play multiple/older CoD games
  • Providing access to the newest game releases could help concentrate the playerbase/avoid division
  • A monthly subscription plan could be much cheaper than paying full price
  • Allows players to sample the games before fully purchasing them
  • Could include downloadable content expansions

From a consumer standpoint, a subscription model could be favorable because of the potential discounts, compared to the price of buying single or multiple full-price CoD games. However, since this is unexplored territory, it’s impossible to know what the pricing of a subscription model would look like, including whether it would be a valuable discount in comparison.

While a subscription model could be beneficial for helping to avoid divisions among the player base for every new release, giving players access to the older games could be counterintuitive to this endeavor. Also, it might be a little messy to pull off given how many different studios have worked on the Call of Duty franchise, meaning that it could prove to be quite expensive for consumers for the involved franchises to profit from offering a subscription model.

How a Subscription Service Has Impacted the Battlefield Franchise

Given how unique this franchise is from anything else in the industry, many influential factors would be impossible to consider without hindsight. However, Call of Duty’s natural rival, the Battlefield franchise, could still provide some valuable insight.

Game:

All-time Peak Player Count:

Past 30-Day Peak Player Count:

Battlefield 1

53,107

37,997

Battlefield V

114,017

114,017

Battlefield 2042

107,006

52,024

Many unlisted factors deserve a mention, such as the difference between each game’s release dates, as well as some of the recent controversies surrounding the Battlefield franchise. Ultimately though, having a subscription model has seemingly proven to be advantageous for the Battlefield franchise, at least in terms of avoiding divisions in the playerbase, given that many players are still playing the older games instead of the most recent game in the franchise. With this in mind, it might be worth the risk for Call of Duty to give a subscription model a chance to support the communities that are still playing the older games.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Tag Page Cover Art
6 /10

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III
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First-Person Shooter
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
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Released
November 10, 2023
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Developer(s)
Sledgehammer Games
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
iw 9.0
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Split Screen Orientation
Horizontal Only
Genre(s)
First-Person Shooter
How Long To Beat
5 Hours
Metascore
60
Platforms That Support Crossplay
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
PS Plus Availability
N/A
Local Co-Op Support
1-2 Players