Activision Unveils Beachhead Studio, to Create Call of Duty 'Digital Platform'

by Steve Watts, Feb 09, 2011 3:15pm PST

Related Topics – Call of Duty, Activision

During today's Q4 2010 earnings call, Activision hinted at a digital future for the Call of Duty franchise, though the company was cagey on what precisely that would entail.

The announcement revolved around Beachhead, a new wholly owned Activision studio founded "to create an online community and suite of services for fans," according to Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. The platform has been in development for a year, and the publisher promises more details soon.

When asked if the planned service will involve subscriptions, CFO Thomas Tippl said the company is "not ready" to discuss details yet.

Only a year ago Hirshberg promised the company would "never, ever" charge for Call of Duty multiplayer, but the Beachhead plans seem more geared toward selling services and community features. The company also announced plans for a Chinese Call of Duty iteration, which would be free-to-play and microtransaction-based. Beachhead may be developing the groundwork for a similar model here.

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12 Threads | 24 Comments

#24

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By: cell9song x Show Full Post

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Yay! Lets destroy the CoD IP in the same manner as we did with Guitar Hero.....oversaturate the market with titles that are as vanilla as the next.

Feb 10, 2011 9:30am PST

Yay! Lets destroy the CoD IP in the same manner as we did with Guitar Hero.....oversaturate the market wi... : cell9song

#14

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By: Damarius101 x Show Full Post

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HAhhahah! Did you guys actually BELIEVE them?? Activision is capable of anything. Just look at the whole Infinity Ward lawsuit, complete and utter bullshit from both sides. Theyre going to start charging, and people will start paying. Its that simple.

Feb 09, 2011 5:29pm PST

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HAhhahah! Did you guys actually BELIEVE them?? Activision is capable of anything. Just look at the whole ... : Damarius101
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.
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  If the kids want to pay for their cake, then pay again to eat it... then I say let them part with their m... : dookiebot
  - But the cake is a lie... : InkedPhoenix

#19

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By: koddak99 x Show Full Post

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There is plenty of better games, i dont see whats the big deal about a milked to death series. When are people going to relise there are more games that are ALOT better then call of duty, the games are obviously aimed at the teenage audience, thus the bland game play and same old S**T. I cant see the point in buying the same game over and over again, im not writing this to rant or anything, im just curious as to why people in todays society would rather play the same stuff over and over, feeding a company that obviously doesnt give a damn about its customers, We all hate Kotick, We all hate activision, but people keeping feeding them. What do you guys think?

Feb 09, 2011 9:56pm PST

There is plenty of better games, i dont see whats the big deal about a milked to death series. When are p... : koddak99

#2

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By: pun][sher x Show Full Post

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Bye bye CoD!!! Not a good choice if BF3 is coming......

Feb 09, 2011 3:32pm PST

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Bye bye CoD!!! Not a good choice if BF3 is coming...... : pun][sher
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.
- or Red Orchestra 2....good luck with that Kotick you won't be getting any money from me : samduhman
- Even if the next CoD title was complete and utter crap with 320x200 graphics, mono sound and only support... : vHazardous

#20

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By: Lukiopimp x Show Full Post

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Unfortunately this digital platfomr is never going to be a service to the fans, the main intention is to exert more control onto them.

Feb 10, 2011 2:47am PST

Unfortunately this digital platfomr is never going to be a service to the fans, the main intention is to ... : Lukiopimp

#18

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By: Batmanshack x Show Full Post

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What needs to happen is EVERY web sites to stop posting anything Activision.... Sure pensions fail but if we stop talking about it then it goes the F away....

Feb 09, 2011 7:20pm PST

What needs to happen is EVERY web sites to stop posting anything Activision.... Sure pensions fail but i... : Batmanshack

#9

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By: radioactivez0r x Show Full Post

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Hey, I have an idea! Let's post a story about a totally vague announcement and assume it means Activision is the devil! I guess it works 9 times out of 10 anyway.

Feb 09, 2011 4:02pm PST

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Hey, I have an idea! Let's post a story about a totally vague announcement and assume it means Activisio... : radioactivez0r
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- 10 out of 10 times : Xulu
- We already know Activision is the devil. This doesn't tell us anything we aren't already clear on. : Thresher

#16

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By: Thresher x Show Full Post

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Just another franchise to run into the ground.

You would think, at some point, they would step back and realize that crowding the market with a franchise cheapens it and will in the long term, burn it out.

Feb 09, 2011 7:08pm PST

Just another franchise to run into the ground. You would think, at some point, they would step back an... : Thresher

#13

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By: Fenring42 x Show Full Post

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Well Pachter, it seems you may in fact have been right the whole time.

Feb 09, 2011 5:03pm PST

Well Pachter, it seems you may in fact have been right the whole time. : Fenring42

#4

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By: Dr_Cube x Show Full Post

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I'll bet monthly subscription fees is what this "digital platform" will be tailored for.

Feb 09, 2011 3:38pm PST

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I'll bet monthly subscription fees is what this "digital platform" will be tailored for. : Dr_Cube
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.
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  Is this going to be a service like XBox Live or Steam or Battle.net or PSN? : Dr_Cube
  - They already have something like that: IWNet. MW2 used Steamworks, but Beachhead could be working on the... : the archvile

#1

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By: TylerJSmith x Show Full Post

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Yep, along with the announcement of Battlefield 3, this pretty much guarantees I'll never play another Call of Duty title. Great work, guys.

Feb 09, 2011 3:17pm PST

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Yep, along with the announcement of Battlefield 3, this pretty much guarantees I'll never play another Ca... : TylerJSmith
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 4 replies.
- I won't either. Wait for it to be around $20 to play single, but that's it. : SerratedDrums
- Same : Navy Spitfire
- Same here; I really didn't play the CoD series for its multiplayer, so this is a sign that their focus wi... : the archvile

#7

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By: Miller_TYM x Show Full Post

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I miss the days when it was fun/cool to read Activision stories and about their upcoming games.

Now I might as well just close the web browser down and scroll through some work email to get my fill of executive buzz words and money grab schemes. So Depressing.

Feb 09, 2011 3:55pm PST

I miss the days when it was fun/cool to read Activision stories and about their upcoming games. Now I ... : Miller_TYM

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