Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released on October 23, and its first downloadable content (DLC) pack launched the same day. This isn't just new content; it's a test for how a franchise like Call of Duty can adjust its release strategy, potentially changing how players buy and publishers sell post-launch game content, affecting revenue streams for the industry.
The new DLC, the CODE Valor Pack, honors Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter. Carpenter, on November 21, 2010, in Marjah, Afghanistan, put himself in front of a grenade to help save a fellow Marine, Nick Eufrazio. Carpenter was unconscious for five weeks, had his teeth stripped from his mouth, and lost an eye. He received the Medal of Honor in 2014. The pack makes Carpenter a playable character; proceeds go to the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), a charity that helps military veterans find jobs. This links a new purchase to a good cause, giving players a feel-good reason to buy on day one.
The monetization experiments extend beyond this. Modern Warfare 4's campaign was available in early access for pre-order customers. This allowed players to jump into the story mode before the official launch. It also introduced a new 'YOLO' difficulty mode, adding replayability for hardcore players and generating buzz around player achievements.
This early access strategy is usually for unfinished games, not DLC for a full release. But another game, Caves of Qud, is doing something similar. Its upcoming DLC, Diaspora, will be released in early access on Steam, even though the base game is out of early access. This is new territory for Steam's in-development program. It suggests publishers see early access as a flexible tool to manage content releases and build anticipation for expansions.
The traditional model for DLC has been a fixed release date, often after the base game has settled. By using early access for DLC, or linking day-one DLC to a charitable cause, publishers can generate immediate revenue and engagement. It creates urgency and exclusivity, especially for the pre-order crowd, who are often the most dedicated spenders.
For investors, this means a potential change in revenue recognition and predictability. Instead of waiting for a single, large DLC launch, money could come in earlier and more consistently. For players, it means more ways to spend, but also potentially getting content sooner. It’s like, as we say in Brazil, 'quem não chora não mama' (the squeaky wheel gets the grease) – publishers are finding new ways to make the wheel squeak for more cash.
The winners here are publishers like Activision who can leverage their player bases and franchises to experiment with these models. They gain earlier revenue, increased pre-order numbers, and positive PR from charity tie-ins. The losers might be smaller developers who lack the marketing muscle to make early access DLC work, or those who stick to traditional release schedules and miss out on early cash. This also pushes the boundaries on what 'finished' means for game content, potentially normalizing buying expansions that are still under development.
Watch if more major publishers adopt early access for DLC or use day-one charity packs. This could become a standard practice, reshaping how we buy and play game expansions, and ultimately, how companies like Activision report their quarterly earnings.
