For any non-casual fan of one of the more hardcore online PC first-person-shooters, I could simply post this link to Joystiq's article on the subject and rest my case there. However, I think this travesty merits a bit more explanation for those who aren't too familiar with PC games and dedicated servers.
A dedicated server is just what its name describes: a machine dedicated solely to serving clients and nothing else. In the context of PC gaming, this equals a place for a large number of gamers (usually between 8 and 32) to play a game together online. For the last ten years or so, nearly every sizeable online gaming community has purchased dedicated servers for the purpose of uniting the members of their community in yet another way. Clans, teams, and guilds often have dedicated servers for their members to play on. Over time, these servers can even develop their own micro-communities.
This is the way things have been for the juggernauts of online PC gaming for as long as there have been juggernauts to speak of. And now Infinity Ward---or shall I say Activision, their ever-greedy publisher---have come along and decided they'll do away with that system and instead decide that they know what's best for you when it comes to online gaming. This is an incredibly insulting move on their part. Dedicated servers have flourished in the PC gaming scene because they work. People like them. People enjoy having a friendly, competitive community to participate in. Why mess with a winning formula?
The answer to that question breathes life into the conspiracy theorist in me. But before I discuss that, I think it's time for a little background information. Until a few years ago, Electronic Arts (EA) was seen as the evil corporate bully of the video games industry. Well, the age of EA is over, and now Activision seems to be filling their shoes. One man in particular pulls the strings of this software giant: CEO/president/board member/mascot/dictator Bobby Kotick.
If nothing else, Kotick deserves a small amount of respect for his guts. The man tells the truth when speaking publicly about his company and his business philosophy. Unfortunately, the truth is ugly. His wonderfully eloquent bashing of gamers and everything they hold dear has yet to reach the subject of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer experience... but I have no doubt he's the man behind the idea. Kotick probably hates the idea of an online community he can't exploit for more money, and thus he is doing everything in his power---which you will see, if you look at Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's sales figures, is approximately a whole damn lot---to crush dedicated servers and the communities surrounding them in favor of a matchmaking system that probably embraces microtransactions and other such money-grubbing nonsense.
This is a bad omen for all gamers. I am very afraid of what this man can and probably will accomplish in the future. And all I can do is boycott Modern Warfare 2. I feel so powerless.
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