Activision's "Call of Duty" has been the talk of the town ever since the newest game in the series, "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," was announced earlier this week.
Of course, talk about the game had long since preceded the actual reveal. Various rumors about the game had surfaced in recent months, such as it being titled "Bloodlines" and coming out for the Nintendo NX, or it being accompanied with a remastered edition of "Modern Warfare" (which turned out to be true).
During all that time, no notable rumors surfaced about the multiplayer aspect of the game, likely because outside of a few tweaks here and there to fit the game's theme, it's generally the same every time. However, if that's the case, then there is the possibility of the controversial "Supply Drops" introduced in "Advanced Warfare" making a return.
As you might recall, Supply Drops were introduced in "Advanced Warfare" and have been part of the multiplayer experience ever since. In "Advanced Warfare," Supply Drops were relatively simple - and harmless - in design. They were obtainable by doing certain things in game, such as Campaign and Exo Survival modes, or spending time in multiplayer or completing challenges there.
It started off much like "Advanced Warfare" did before it, only offering cosmetic items that no one really cared much about. However, the game - no pun intended - was changed in a big way when Activision added actual firearms (melee weapons had been added in an earlier update) into these crates. Sure, guns were already in Supply Drops since "Advanced Warfare," but those were weapons with altered stats, and these guns were unique since they could affect the outcome of a match.
However, what really sets "Black Ops III's" Supply Drops apart from their earlier iteration is that they could also be purchased using real- world money. Not only that, but these weapons had an extremely low chance of appearing in an opened crate. This lead to the unfortunate situation where players were left with either two options: either grind hundreds of hours through the game to earn Cryptokeys or spend real cash on COD Points to purchase the Supply Drops. The kicker in both situations - as mentioned before - is that since they all have a woefully low chance of dropping, players may end up spending tons of time and/or money and never see one - unless they get railed down by one, of course.
Naturally, people weren't too enthused about this development, prompting a discussion about it on Reddit and NeoGAF, and complaints about this controversial, or as some would say, illegal, practice linger on to this day.
So, why bring this up, you ask? As mentioned before, "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" is coming out this year, and along with it "Battlefield 5," "Call of Duty's" prime competitor. EA rightfully receives a lot of flak for decisions that it has made over the years ("Mass Effect 3's" ending, anyone?) but it hasn't done anything in "Battlefield" that people would refer to as illegal.
Unlocking weapons in both games requires players to play matches, gain XP and rank up. However, while "Black Ops III" resorts to microtransactions, "Battlefield" resorts to challenges for future unlockable equipment. In short, it comes down to skill, effort - and most importantly, not RNG. Why not do this with every weapon after rank-based unlocks instead?
Does this practice detract from the game? Yes, somewhat, but "Black Ops III" is still an incredible game and many people play it regardless. The issue here is the prospect of this coming to "Infinite Warfare." Activision was clever enough to introduce these microtransactions well after the game - and reviews - were released. Players could complain about the practice, but they already purchased the game, so Activision already received what it wanted in the first place: your money.
This time around, players are aware of just how bad Supply Drops can be, which may very well determine sales and give "Battlefield 5" the edge that some had predicted. Of course, Activision can simply release these supply drop based weapons post-release like it did in the past, making the whole thing moot.
So, will "Black Ops III's" Supply Drops make a return? The verdict is out on that one, but nothing is stopping Activision from doing it again.
