Why is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 So Expensive in 2023?

The short answer is that MW2 is priced at $70 USD because that has become the new norm for premium AAA game pricing in response to rising development/marketing budgets. Combined with Call of Duty‘s immense popularity as an evergreen franchise that sells extremely well every single year, Activision feels very comfortable pricing MW2 at a premium.

As a passionate Call of Duty player and games media commentator myself, in this in-depth article I‘ll analyze MW2‘s pricing from multiple angles. My goal is to provide gamers lots of insightful commentary and data so you can fully understand the rationale behind MW2‘s $70 price tag in 2023 and determine if the value is there for you.

A Brief History of MW2 Pricing

First, let‘s establish the pricing for Modern Warfare 2‘s various editions across platforms:

• Standard Edition (base game): $70
• Vault Edition (deluxe): $100

This applies equally whether you play on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, or PC. There is no option for a cheaper, previous-gen version.

For comparison, here are the release prices for recent Call of Duty games:

As we can see, the base game price has now increased by $10 vs. the 2020 and 2021 entries in the hit first-person shooter franchise.

Why the Industry-Wide Price Hike?

But it‘s not just Call of Duty – this $10 increase reflects a new industry standard for AAA game pricing emerging over the past 2-3 years across top publishers:

• Sony first hiked flagship PS5 titles to $70 after 15+ years at $60
• Similar for Xbox Series X|S exclusives like Starfield
• Even Nintendo adopted it for games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

There are a few key factors driving this expanded price ceiling:

1. Significant Development Budget Increases

Per Ubisoft, average AAA budgets now exceed $200 million including marketing! Coupled with rising operating expenses from tech/engineers, this necessitates new revenue streams.

2. More Advanced Games as Live Services

Top titles like Call of Duty are complex evolving platforms, with constant updates and live ops teams. Games as ongoing services cost vastly more to operate.

3. Next-Gen Development Costs

Building AAA games for new consoles with cutting-edge graphical capabilities, haptic feedback, AI, and more requires major upfront investments.

4. Inflationary Impacts

With most costs rising thanks to inflation, the enduring $60 price tag was likely untenable long-term even for the world‘s biggest franchises.

But Does MW2 Specifically Warrant a $70 Price Tag?

In a vacuum, debatable. But as the sales bear out, Call of Duty has nearly unrivaled player demand year after year. Thus Activision has opted to leverage the new $70 ceiling for its flagship series.

Some relevant factors around MW2‘s value proposition:

• Built from scratch for next-gen consoles & PC
• New engine with state-of-the-art visuals and audio
• Ambitious combined single + multiplayer experience
• Significant post-launch content roadmap

There‘s clearly huge budgets and ambition behind MW2. But a $70 ask is still steep, and stands out negatively versus Xbox Game Pass for example.

Vault Edition Breakdown: Is it Worth $100?

The even pricier $100 Vault Edition seems catered to the hardcore fans. Here‘s what it includes:

• Base Game
• Battle Pass (1 Season) + 50 Tier Skips
• Red Team 141 Operator Pack
• FJX Cinder Weapon Vault
• Ghost Legacy Pack
• Season 1 Reloaded Content Drop

There‘s decent additional value here for the most engaged players through Battle Pass & cosmetic perks. But for more casual fans I‘d stick to the base game.

How Well is MW2 Selling Despite the Premium Pricing?

In a testament to the immense hype and player base around Call of Duty, MW2 is actually seeing the biggest launch ever for the record-shattering franchise!

• $800 Million in First 3 Days (New Record)
• Tracking to $1 Billion after Only 10 Days

Here‘s how MW2 launch sales compare to previous entries:

As we can see, players are demonstrating tremendous demand despite elevated pricing. Of course this is limited to launch sales – it will be interesting to track engagement over time.

But in the critical first couple weeks, MW2 is seeing absolutely no negative impact from its premium $70 price point.

Should You Buy MW2 in 2023?

For casual fans or those on a tight budget, MW2 may be one to wait on until you can find it at a discount. The core gameplay is phenomenal, but lighter players may bounce off the multi-week shooter grind quicker.

However for dedicated Call of Duty fans who plan to really dive in and maximize time with the game, MW2 absolutely delivers enough content, polish, and depth to warrant the $70 buy-in.

I‘m bullish on MW2‘s overall quality and fun factor. But cost could be restrictive depending on your gaming budget And style of play. Check out some gameplay footage to see if MW2 aligns with your tastes.

The Bottom Line

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 represents an ambitious evolution for the powerhouse FPS franchise – but also comes saddled with a next-gen $70 price tag.

For hardcore fans chasing hundreds of hours of explosive multiplayer battles, Spec Ops missions, and nerve-wracking raids, MW2 seems well worth the premium investment.

Yet more casual shooter enthusiasts may be better served waiting for a discount or sticking with the stacked Game Pass library.

Either way, MW2‘s astronomical early sales indicate players still see immense valueproposition despite creeping AAA pricing. Activision is clearly betting big that Call of Duty sits comfortably atop the industry‘s new $70 price ceiling.