For the first time, the "Call of Duty" franchise is recieving microtransactions. Beginning Wednsday, gamers playing the franchise's latest, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," on Xbox 360 can purchase what Activision is calling "Micro Items," which are reportedly only visual enhancements and should not affect gameplay at all. PC and PS3 players won't have access until a later date.
Activision blogger Dan Harmich (also known as a community manager) gave information about the update to the wildly popular game. The Personalization Packs will go for 160 Microsoft Points, and "offer unique weapon camos, three targeting reticules and a Calling Card," he writes.
"At the end of the day, all of these items are completely optional, and were created for players who've asked for more customization options," Amrich said. Players can also purchase an Extra Slots Pack, adding ten new slots for players to save their customized classes.
The "Flags of the World Calling Card Packs" will be exactly as described, giving buyers acces to various flags to apply as their calling card, going for 80 Microsoft Points a piece.
Additionaly, MCV reports the zombie Nuketown 2025 map will go on sale as a standalone purchase for 400 Microsoft Points and the regular multiplayer variant of the map is going free for everybody.
Activision is experimenting with a full-on microtransaction-fueled "Call of Duty: Online" in China. The game went into alpha-testing early this year, according to Kotaku, though the minimalistic purchases meant to keep the game profitable are not yet live.
