Forbes Calls Call of Duty “Rank Up XP” Promotion Unholy

Activision and Pepsi are teaming up for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 promotion that gives gamers time to earn double experience points when they buy participating products. The “Rank Up Your Game” web site shows Mountain Dew and Doritos as foods that will earn double XP. In a recent article, Forbes called the promotion “nothing short of unholy.” Here’s an excerpt:

The promotion is called “Rank Up XP,” and the long and short of it is that by buying certain Pepsi products, namely Mountain Dew and Doritos, players can redeem codes in the packaging for Double XP time in Modern Warfare 3. A 20 oz gets you 15 minutes, a 12 pack gets you 45, and so on.

Why is this a problem? Because XP is currency in these games, and whoever has more of it first is at a distinct advantage. More XP, especially when the game is new, means more weapons, more perks, more attachments, more killstreaks, and subsequently, usually more wins. Offering Double XP to someone who purchases Pepsi products is selling out about as much as you can, and for a franchise that’s already been accused of pushing the limits with “Elite” monthly membership and overpriced map packs, it goes to show that Activision will exploit its fans in any way they can.

Perhaps I’ve been desensitized by years of marketing, but I don’t see what’s so bad about the promo. I’ve certainly seen worse and it’s not like I expect Activision to offer a deal that rewards gamers for buying organic direct-trade fruit. It’s a marketing deal that combines a popular game with popular junk food. It’s not benefiting mankind, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “unholy”.

Actually, let’s take it to another level. Calling it unholy is f*cking stupid. There are people without homes and food. There are people that are being denied their civil rights. There are people without jobs and health insurance. I don’t know Paul Tassi, the author of the Forbes article, but I’m inclined to think that he’s a moron if he truly believes a “Call of Duty + Mountain Dew = double XP” promotion is unholy compared to all the other things going on in the world. If earning double XP in a questionable way is unholy, then how do you describe what’s going on in Myanmar and North Korea?!?

What do you think? Is Activision teaming up with Doritos for double XP unholy? Or is it just another marketing deal?

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Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

23 thoughts on “Forbes Calls Call of Duty “Rank Up XP” Promotion Unholy”

  1. From pepsi and activision's stand point, it's a damn good idea. They know what market they are targeting, and mountain dew and doritos was definitely the way to go. It really doesn't give anyone an unfair advantage, it's not like it gives you unlimited ammo. Now if activision had said you need to buy doritos and dew to play online, shit would have gotten real.

  2. I think it's a great idea… but I think it's kinda wrong and stereotypical that it's Doritos and Mountain Dew.

    I'm not saying it would be as bad as say… giving free Boost Mobile minutes with the sale of fried chicken and a 40oz… but I will say it's similar.

      1. I just want to be clear… that wasn't focussed as a black thing as much as it was focussed as a ghetto thing.

        There are many colors in the ghetto rainbow.

      2. You should have been a writer for the "Dave Chapelle Show". You would have gotten an Emmy for shizzle.

        On a side note, I would love a 40 oz. and some fried chicken, although it's tough to come by down here when you have 75% of the population from Central and South America.

        (*sigh*) I need to go on a road trip to Georgia again.

        -M

      3. Dude… I'm in California with a large percentage of the population of Mexico in it. What's hard to get here is good pizza. The mexican food and the sushi is outstanding… but literally EVERYTHING else might as well be fast food.

      5. I was joshing you man I wanted to see your response and you responded awesomely. The ghetto rainbow, I like the sound of that lol.

    2. It's like they pick the worst soda and the worst chip, and assume gamers must like that. Why can't I get a Dr. Pepper and Cheetos promo?

  3. Truth be told, half these online games offer straight power-up DLC's tht you can buy anyways. The EA Sports titles in particular are getting out of hand. This is just a different way of doing the same damn thing.

  5. It is pretty unholy and (Ricky)Bobby is just milking it like anything his company owns. Double EXP for that, fat and/or wealthy players is definitely not fare. Why can't they do like EA and offer reskined outfits and guns?

  6. I could not stop laughing when I read: "Offering Double XP to someone who purchases Pepsi products is selling out about as much as you can"

    REALLY? That's where you draw the line of "selling out?" It's not a minimalist campaign at a maximum price? It's not the multiplayer that rarely changes from one iteration to the next? It's not the yearly releases to milk as much as possible from the franchise? It's not the Elite monthly membership? It's not the fact that Activision is sacrificing innovation for a +0.10¢ increase in the price of their stock? It’s not the Call of Duty real-time card game from Upper Deck? It’s not the Natzi action figures from Plan-B toys? It’s not the CoD MW3: Ghost comic book mini-series? No. Buying XP is where you say’ “Hey, wait a minute. I think Activision doesn’t really care about the game at all! I think all they want is more money from people who play Call of Duty.”

    I’m shocked!

    -M

    1. That was awesome and totally spot on.

      On the other side though… I think I'm too old to remember what selling out is. Nowadays, I just do what I do and hope it sells no matter what.

      With this franchise, it's already removed from it's creator (now Respawn studios) so it's just a product anymore the same way nobody cares about Twinkies. They sell, or they don't.

    2. There's the reason I only rent the CoD games. Speaking of which, Black Ops FINALLY just came from GameFly. Only took that one 10 months on my Q to get here…..

      1. I refuse to even play them. I look at my shelf and see 0 Activision releases. My son however has definitely one (a Tony Hawk game we got used) and maybe 2 because… I will do anything for my kids and those were what he wanted.

        I teach him the politics, but I can't expect them to stick and I feel I would be a terrible guy if I forced my politics on him..

      2. I currently own zero Activision games as well. I'm not adverse to buying them based on "it's Activision," but I find that they simply don't make a lot of games I'd want to play. And with CoD, I really only play for the single player, so I'm not spending $60 for a 6 hour game that I'm only going to play once.

        I did own the two Marvel Ultimate Alliance games, but the second one was pretty bad in my opinion (I mean, how can you screw up the Marvel Civil War? Why a, I fighting naninte infested Firestar in the 3rd act? WTF?!?), and I sold both of them then. I can't think of any other Activision games I've owned this console gen.

  7. For me, this is just one more reason to stick to Battlefield. Speaking of, what does everyone think of the beta so far?

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