Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Locks New Feature Behind Controversial Paywall

Earlier this month, Infinity Ward rolled out the biggest free update in the history of the Call of Duty franchise. The update included a plethora of new modes, weapons, maps and more. While the Season 1 update seems to have gone over fairly well with the Modern Warfare fan base, some are upset about a pricier pack. The Mother Russia bundle retails for 2000 COD points ($20) and includes a number of different items to enhance your Call of Duty experience. One of those items is the Time to Die watch, and it tells players how many times they've died in a single match. The reason fans are upset is because this was a standard feature in past Call of Duty games, and something fans had been requesting to see return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

NGL that time to die watch in codmw needs to be a reward not a purchase.

— Ari (@nzsonleo) December 12, 2019

Since downloadable content was first introduced in video games, it has led to controversy. In theory, it's a nice way to keep people playing and enjoying their purchase long after the game would have been put back on the shelf. Unfortunately, some publishers have looked at it as a way to nickel-and-dime customers on things that should have been made available in the release in the first place. It's impossible to determine Infinity Ward's exact intent with the Time to Die watch, but it's easy to see why fans would be upset with a standard feature being cut and then added back under a fairly steep paywall.

@Activision and @InfinityWard wants you to pay $20 for the chance of getting a watch called Time to Die...it shows you...your Death Count in the game 🤣 wth I'm straight done son! They got 50 feet of screen space to put the Death Count in COD 2019: Window Campfare #ModernFailure

— ShotDelivery (@DeliveringShots) December 11, 2019

As of this writing, there is no way to purchase the Time to Die watch without buying the entire Mother Russia DLC. It will be interesting to see if Infinity Ward and Activision decide to make the watch available as a separate purchase in the future.

How do you feel about the Time to Die Watch being held behind a paywall? Did you buy the Mother Russia DLC? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!