After formally unveiling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and revealing that it is headed to Steam, the controversial publisher came bearing bad news: the new Call of Duty title will cost $70 when it arrives on PC. With the announcement, Modern Warfare 2 now joins Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake (an Epic Games Store exclusive) as the only AAA PC games to sell for $70. The rest of the market still follows the decades-old $60 price point. To make matters worse, it’s not just the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 that’s selling for $70. Activision is pushing the $70 price for all platforms, mirroring what it did with last year’s Vanguard. Perhaps the backlash shouldn’t come off as a surprise. Many argue that $70 is too much for Modern Warfare 2, even if it’s technically going to use a new engine and set a standard for the franchise going forward. The pricing of current-gen and previous-gen games make an interesting discussion. Sony opened pandora’s box with its “premium” pricing for first-party exclusives back in 2020, selling the likes of Demon’s Souls and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, among others, for $70. On the other hand, Microsoft didn’t follow the trend. Instead, it stuck to the $60 standard and used the Game Pass to much success, with Forza Horizon 5 setting a new record. If Activision insists on selling Call of Duty (and future installments) for $70, Microsoft will have to think about the pricing after the acquisition pushes through in 2023. In the meantime, you might want to keep an eye on the prices for the PC ports of Returnal, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered as well as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. All four of the aforementioned titles are exclusive to the PS5 and are headed to the PC (and Steam) soon. With Activision Blizzard already taking the brunt of the criticism, Sony might as well keep its $70 pricing standard for both its first-party PS5 titles and upcoming PC ports of PS5 games.
