The Call of Duty franchise is one of the most popular and financially lucrative properties of the video game industry since its inception all the way back in 2003.
Almost every year we’re treated to a new Call of Duty game which consistently results in being one of the year's best sellers and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III in 2023 will surely be no exception.
Check out the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III gameplay trailer below!
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In January 2022, Microsoft made the first steps to acquire Activision Blizzard for an eye-watering $68.7 billion. The acquisition has been by no means straightforward as Microsoft had to face the challenge of various market regulators from across the world.
Microsoft took a big stride recently after it won its gruelling court battle with the US market regulator, the FTC. Yet, Microsoft is still waiting on the approval of the UK before the deal is finalised, which has led to speculation that Activision games could be pulled from the region.
If the deal is finalised, and it most likely will, Microsoft reportedly has controversial plans to implement ads in some Call of Duty games going forward. As reported by CharlieIntel, Microsoft apparently has intentions to place ads in some Call of Duty titles.
At the moment, only the free-to-play Call of Duty Mobile is mentioned alongside Candy Crush and Hearthstone, but should this advertising campaign be implemented, it will likely not go down well with the Call of Duty community. It’s unclear at this time if there are plans to introduce ads in Call of Duty: Warzone, another free-to-play title. However, the PC platform is mentioned as part of Microsoft’s advertising plans as well as mobile devices.
To play devil's advocate, while I dislike the idea of in-game adverts being placed in franchises such as Call of Duty, at least for now it seems, plans are not afoot to expand into paid-for titles such as the upcoming Modern Warfare III. I think if that were to happen with a premium game, that would be a step too far. That being said, Call of Duty Mobile has made a reported $1.27 billion USD since its release in 2019, so it's not already short of making a few quid. In recent years, Electronic Arts sneaked ads into UFC 4 but was swiftly removed following an understandable backlash from fans.
Whether or not Microsoft actually implements ads in free-to-play Call of Duty games remains to be seen, but it’s probably safe to assume the worst, after all, billion-dollar corporations like to make all the money and then some.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be released on 10 November for PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Topics: Call Of Duty, Microsoft, Activision, PC, Mobile Games, Xbox