Scott Martinez

Posted on Apr 11, 2022Read on Mirror.xyz

Call of Duty NFTs That You Won’t Hate

How can Call of Duty implement NFTs in a meaningful way that improves the game without alienating fans?

Source: Activision Press Center

I have a lot of heart for Call of Duty. Granted I could do without the young children screaming obscenities on multiplayer, but that is what mute is for after all. Plus, good luck finding a space that is completely devoid of its blemishes, they are truly few and far between.

Regardless of any critiques of Call of Duty, I cannot discount how impactful the series was on me as a young adult virtually storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and showing me a minuscule fraction of what those people experienced. Which was a blessing in some ways, because with events of such magnitude, a fraction of a glimpse is more than any human should be subjected to.

As I grew up, I found myself returning to Call of Duty over the years because it became almost ubiquitous in everyone’s gaming library. It was a game we all had played over the years in one form or the other. So when I read about Watcher Guru’s rumor of NFTs possibly coming to Call of Duty many people would have assumed I would be elated, but they could not be further from the truth.

Instead of joy, this news immediately filled me with trepidation and sadness. Trepidation of how a poorly implemented NFT system could not only alienate players but cause some real suffering. Sadness at the realization that, given Activision/Blizzard’s recent track record, my fears are likely to become reality. Keep in mind, this is coming from the perspective of a web3 marketing strategist who sees massive potential for NFTs in gaming!

During a vibrant debate on JUMP, a community for agency professionals and brand marketers who are passionate about web3, we were reacting to this news and discussing the opportunities and problems that NFTs, and by extension microtransactions, create when integrated into existing AAA franchises. Coming out of that debate I was inspired to write this proposal to answer a simple question: How can Call of Duty implement NFTs in a meaningful way that improves the game without alienating fans?

For the purposes of this proposal, I am focusing on an NFT system that would have significant impact on actual gameplay (i.e. meaningful) as opposed to some other immediate implementations that are cosmetic such as costumes or badges. However, during our debate in JUMP we identified two key considerations we wanted to keep in mind when integrating NFTs.

First, we do not want to create a two-class system (free-to-play versus pay-to-play) where users either must pay to compete at the highest levels or be subjugated to a secondary class that never really has a fighting chance to win. Second there are ethical concerns around encouraging specific mechanisms, such as loot boxes, that can have significant impacts on players struggling with gambling & gaming addictions.

So ultimately our objective is to implement a gameplay NFT system that adds value for players without creating a 2-class system or raising ethical concerns.

Objective:

Implement a gameplay NFT system that adds value for players without creating a 2-class system or raising ethical concerns.

Core Tenets:

For a successful system there are three core tenets that must be followed:

  • Enable true ownership for players through decentralization

    NFTs must be fully transferable to third-party wallets so players have full control of their asset, should they opt to store that item outside of our systems

    We can still maintain a centralized space if we want, but the ability to completely decouple any asset from our control is important for a sense of true player ownership.

  • Commit to longevity

    It is critical that we think beyond a season, year, or even game! Make the clear commitment to support these NFTs across future iterations of the franchise and in other unannounced ways (e.g. partnerships/crossovers).

    As we saw with the recent implosion of Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon NFT experiment, if the utility of an NFT is limited to just one game, its value is dependent on that game continuing. If we develop a larger ecosystem it helps to ensure that the NFT that is owned today will continue to have value and utility as time goes on.

  • Everything can be earned by talent alone. Full stop.

    This does not mean make it easy to unlock everything, however everything should be able to be earned by a reasonable amount of time invested by an average gamer except for the top tier weapons. Legendary status still needs to carry some weight after all.

    To protect new players leveling experience we can enable ‘skill-centric matches’ where all players are limited to base level weapons and modifications to even the playing field.

Call of Duty NFT Enabled Weapon System

The weapons system will continue to operate in a similar way to how it currently does where all weapons and modifications are unlockable as a player progresses in a combination of level, proficiency, and/or achievement. In additional to our standard weapon and modifications we would create a legendary status for extremely difficult to obtain items. We would be clear and resolute that these items will never be sold by us and can only be earned in game. They are a true measure of talent and skill, but their difficulty to be attained reflect that. This being said, we need to ensure legendary weapons are not so overpowered that they tip the scales immediately in favor of the player. Beginning with the creation of a class of weapons that are exclusively available through player’s skill and ability it reaffirms our commitment to the third core tenant.

Where an NFT weapon system starts to substantially diverge from the existing system is that when a player unlocks a weapon or modification, they have the option of minting it as an NFT and placing it within their armory (up to X amount to start and limited to once per item).

Call of Duty Player Armories

A Call of Duty Player Armory would be accessed through a decentralized application (dApp) where they can manage their NFTs and buy/sell/trade with other players. The idea being that a player’s Call of Duty Armory will allow them to transport their weapons across games, so if they are able to achieve something in one game, they will be able to take their reward into future games and continue to reap the benefits of their hard work. This is similar to how Call of Duty Warzone accepts blueprints from other games like Cold War.

Players could even sell any elite/legendary weapons they managed to unlock for a little side cash when they decide to stop playing. Nobody should be able to sustain a living off of this system, however it would provide average gamers with some decent grocery money one day. This could also give birth to a whole collectable market. Imagine being able to own the rifle that your favorite esports star won their first major title with!

At first the player’s armory can be meager in size, but allow for players to work towards different upgrades such as increase storage space for how many saved weapons you can transport across games, increased closet space for costumes, etc.

NFT Rollout & Sale Schedule

We can schedule a minimum of 3-month long seasons to release new weapons and, as each season ends, we can then start to sell ‘catch up’ NFTs of select rarer weapons to help balance the scales for the players who were unable to unlock all the weapons they may have wanted in the previous season. However, it is essential that we be clear and upfront with players that this is going to happen! They can either earn now or wait and pay later. Their choice. We also need to ensure that earned and purchased NFTs will include a clear way to decipher between the two, even if it is the same item.

If we wait until after the season has ended to sell ‘catch up’ NFTs we can allow the resale market to dictate the price. Obviously, our influx of supply will affect price, but if we set it correctly, it would already be at a comparable, if not somewhat discounted, rate to what the market determined.

If necessary, we could also set a base level commission built into an NFT that would be enforceable when a player connects back into our centralized server. Say we want to keep 2% of the total trade price for every trade. If traded within our Armory server this can be tracked and deducted automatically, however if it is traded outside of our server, we will need another mechanism. A possible solution for this is whenever an NFT connects back to our servers, its trade history is checked against our records and if there is a discrepancy a fee is calculated and must be paid before that item is allowed back into our system via a new owner.

By using ‘catch up’ sale and trade commission models we are forgoing immediate profit surges, but in its place are creating a sustainable revenue model over the lifetime of the assets. This maintains our commitment to the core tenets and maintains a healthy relationship with our fans. At the end of the day would you rather have a smaller piece of a larger pie, but a larger slice of a small pie that is pissed off at you?

Additional Considerations & Features

If we enable weapons to be transported across games, we should consider additional protections, such as making modes that respect an era’s authenticity. We would not want to ruin the feel of a game by having futuristic weapons in a WW2 battlefield.

Additional features that could be considered are things like durability bombs for losses, so that when a player loses their equipment takes a hit. This would create the need for a repair mechanism, as we should not encourage needless destruction of assets. This repair mechanism can be through the player’s armory and be enhanced with additional upgrades to their armory.

Thank you for reading and please follow me on Twitter (@itisfuninthesun) for more articles like this! If anyone has any questions, feedback, or would like to discuss potential web3 marketing strategy opportunities, please feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.

Scott Martinez Web3 Marketing Specialist, Permaculturist, & Proud Geek