Call of Duty online to be monetized

As part of its latest analyst gathering in the US, publisher Activision Blizzard has said that the number of hours ploughed into games such as Call of Duty 4 online is a business opportunity the company can’t ignore.

Plus, the firm also sees online premium content as a way of tackling the pre-owned games issue.

We see strong opportunities to monetize online gameplay,” Activision’s publishing CEO Mike Griffith stated, according to Edge Online. The average Call of Duty player has spent nearly five full 24-hour days of their lives online since purchasing the game. Over time, we’ll qualify more opportunities to increase the monetization of these activities.

Continuing to engage consumers online with Call of Duty 4 is a large part of the reason you still see the title selling for $59.99 in stores and the absence of any used games in the market for Call of Duty.”

Griffith also added that his firm has plans to up the money it can make from the online element of the upcoming Call of Duty: World at War, which is being developed by Treyarch.

Additionally, it was confirmed that Call of Duty 6 will be released in 2009, and is being developed by CoD4 developer Infinity Ward.