Infinity Ward is selling an item obtainable for free in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as part of a bundle that costs somewhere in the region of $14.
Loot boxes, microtransactions, and in-game purchases are a minefield for both developers and players. However, the success of these elements of gaming would suggest most deem them as a risk worth taking. Players appear to love spending money on games, even if they have forked out for a copy of it, to begin with, and developers love to take that money.
This new area of the video game world is risky due to governing bodies not being too sure of how to control it. Some countries have questioned whether buying loot boxes is a form of gambling and should, therefore, be unavailable to children. If that viewpoint is enforced, then comes the issue of determining how old a player is beyond just slapping a rating on the game.
Infinity Ward is coming under fire this week for one of the in-game purchases added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s new online store, reports Multiplayer First. The Royal Armory Bundle is made up of four items and will cost players 1400 COD points, so roughly $14. However, one of the items included in the bundle is attainable for free elsewhere.
The item in question is the Blade of Valor gun charm. Players who have been completing missions available in the barracks might well have the charm already. It is one of the rewards for completing the Infiltrator Mission. Therein lies the controversy. Should Infinity Ward be charging players for items that can be obtained for free by playing the game?
The argument is that items that cost money should be ones that aren’t already available in-game as added extras for players who want to spend money. It would probably be pretty frustrating for players who have bought that bundle specifically for the gun charm to discover that they could have got it for free had they played a certain mission. Then again, the bundle allows players who don’t want to play through that particular mission to still get the gun charm. Which side of the argument do you fall on?
Source: Multiplayer First
