Santa Monica, CA – February 4, 2008 – Fresh intel from Activision headquarters (Nasdaq: ATVI) reports that new global conflicts are planned in the form of downloadable multiplayer maps for the award-winning Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™. In development for both Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the upcoming downloadable content will thrust gamers into a hot zone of added combat across a variety of intense multiplayer locales.

Activision = $$$

Good.

I hope they are free . If not I hope there like in some sort of value pack like halos maps.

I hope they are free . If not I hope there like in some sort of value pack like halos maps.

Activision? Doing something free??? I' ll cut my own tongue if it turns out they won' t charge anything and I am just maligning them!

They' ll be charging, and I' ll be buying, finances permitting.

They' ve never let us down with map releases before.

My guess is two map packs, one free and the other 800 MS pts($10) or one 400 MS pts and the other 800 MS pts. It' ll probably be between 6 and 8 maps, only 3 or 4 of which being good.

Nothing will be free initially... maybe months later.

Nobody beats Epic as far as free expansive content and support for older titles go(I don' t count Gears because MS had their money hungry hands on it).

That said, I will most definitely buy the map packs regardless of cost or my personal beliefs. CoD4 is easily my favorite online FPS in many many years. Pretty much since the hayday of Unreal Tournament, Quake III and CS Beta 1.0 through 4.1 and to a lesser extent 6.1

the maps will become ' free' eventually when released with a game of the year version. however thats not much use to current owners. Still I will get these and will have to try and learn them like the others.

the maps will become ' free' eventually when released with a game of the year version. however thats not much use to current owners.

They' ll be free online after a few months, like almost all DLC content.

As long as the content is developed after a game has launched not during (EA) the developers are completely OK to charge.

Unless people actually don' t want the working conditions of average level games industry personell to continue to improve? Or want to motivate new talent to go and work for such companies?

Heres a nice equation in case anyone needs a refresher..

developer makey makey = consumer payey payey

And it has always been thus.

Perhaps the arguament here should be as to how much of a cut is arrange with a publisher and how much a studio decides to fold back into studio tech and title development.

Of course a couple of maps or mods can always be free, thats nice, great publicity and a good way to boost sales figures of the full title. But if the work is substantial (say over 10% of a titles retail content) I' d say they it' s only fair we contribute something?

If Activision were to release anything free, it would be one map, with a large (3 or 4 map) release simultaneously, set at a similar price point to their earlier releases.

If Activision were to release anything free, it would be one map, with a large (3 or 4 map) release simultaneously, set at a similar price point to their earlier releases.

Which is quite a possibility considering their new competition to create a multiplayer map and the best gets to get in the new DLC. It also might be a timed free thing like the stuff on live fire weekend awhile back.