A survey hinted to fans of the Call of Duty series that the upcoming sequel to the hugely successful Modern Warfare might feature a paid subscription plan similar to what is already in place for most MMOs. Infinity Ward has put a kaibosh on those rumors, at least when it comes to Modern Warfare 2.

A post on their official forum said ”multiplayer will always be equal and free for everyone as always.”. The survey had come supposedly from Activision and highlighted the benefits of subscription plans. Infinity ward made sure people knew that this was only coming from Activision and had nothing to do with their games. I’m guessing that Infinity Ward knows many of us are only occasional gamers who wouldn’t be terribly happy with paying to play a game they only occasionally have time to sit down at.

There certainly is some room for additional revenue generation when it comes to gaming, but the existing avenue of downloadable map packs and character models is likely the better approach, since the gamers who play more often are generally younger and have less disposable income while the older ones have the cash to put into it but not the time to make a subscription plan worthwhile.