If you want to blame someone for the rampant monetization of Call of Duty, it turns out that Jeffrey Epstein, of all people, had a hand in its birth.
Newly discovered correspondence between Epstein, futurist Pablos Holman and former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, taken from the more than three million Epstein Files released on Friday, discussed “indoctrinating children into the economy” through game cosmetics.
“The X Prize is a good idea, but the real rewards are key,” Kotick said in an email to Epstein. “Learn to read: [earn] cell phone minutes, iPhone credits, virtual items in games.”
I am in favor of indoctrinating children into the economy. You have to love like him [example] for “events in the real world” are “virtual objects in games” – Pablos.
Interestingly, these emails were sent on May 3, 2013, just months after the launch of Black Ops 2 – the first game in the series to feature microtransactions. Activision tested the waters with personalization packs, extra slot packs, and paid phone cards, the first of which was released on April 12, 2013.
Call of Duty: Ghosts, which launched later that year, went further, with paid “special characters”, voice packs, skins, masks and even weapons; it's not hard to draw a line between these conversations with Epstein and Kotick and the sudden boom in microtransactions, but it's unnerving that the intent behind them is to prey on children.
Kotick appears in the Epstein files more than 300 times
This is also not the only appearance of Kotick in the files. If you search for his last name on the DOJ website, there are over 300 results, and he appeared to be close enough to Epstein that he was even invited to his island in 2012.
“Very nice of you to offer,” Kotick replied. “I don't think it's going to work as planned. It was fun being with you and your team of experts.”
However, when Epstein mentioned in a 2013 email that he and “the girls” would see Elon Musk at SpaceX and that “there will [the] girls after Bel Air,” Kotick replied, “Let me know what time.
- Released
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November 13, 2012
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Drug Use
- Engine
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i.w
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, local multiplayer, local co-op
