Industry analyst Michael Pachter has really gotten a hard-on for subscription fees lately. Not long after encouraging Activision to adopt a subscription-based Call of Duty, the steel-jawed fox has declared that all multiplayer games will go the way of the monthly fee.
“I think EA will migrate to an online subscription model, so instead of paying $10 for an online pass,” muses Pachter on Pach Attack, “I think EA will charge $5 or $10 a month which will give the player the ability to play any of the companies sports games online.
“You know I think they will be fine if 1-2 million do that [pay for subscription] and they will be fine if other 10-20 million people who play EA Sports games keep buying new games. The moral of the story is game and used game purchasers just have to accept online multiplayer is going subscription. Publishers just can’t afford to give this stuff away for free, its cannibalising new game sales and used game sales.”
Pachter appears to be a big fan of monthly fees, going so far as to call it “crazy” that you can play Call of Duty for free. Because, of course, Activision doesn’t make enough money with its European price-gouging, $15 map packs, and infinite Guitar Hero sequels. Poor, poor Activision, it’s been far too generous!
