Corporate Trolling Fun -- Activision Disputes Modern Warfare 3 Domain
by Carlos Macias, posted on 20 July 2011 / 2,991 Views
In a move that surely delighted Activision detractors, the "evil corporation" is in a battle to win back its own domain name, www.modernwarfare3.com. The site is currently inaccessible, but over the weekend it was uncovered to be a domain bashing the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 and redirecting to EA's web page for Battlefield 3. Activision has since filed a complaint against the URL at the National Arbitration Forum for a fee of $2,600.
While it's quite a predicament that Activision has found itself in, it's amazing that it happened at all. Part of me wants to think that this may have went over Activision's head while in the middle of the whole Jason West and Vince Zampella ordeal last year where the company feared it may not have had the "Modern Warfare" name for future titles, anyway. But, really, with the ease of registering a domain (and relative affordability), it's a wonder Activision wouldn't have secured the site (and the brand) years ahead of time.
Anyone who typed in "www.modernwarfare3.com" in their browser this past weekend was greeted to a message vilifying the upcoming game saying that "on November 8, 2011, the most over-hyped first-person action series of all-time returns with the copy and paste sequel to the lackluster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" before naming the campaign in Modern Warfare 3 an "epic fail" and pimping EA's Battlefield 3 game.
Oh, and he embedded a video to spoof on the game with a Monthy Python clip:
It's very unlikely that Modern Warfare 3 will fail to meet expectations of selling incredibly well -- it's even tracking better in pre-orders than record-setting Call of Duty: Black Ops last year -- but it's still a stunt, put on by rival Electronic Arts or otherwise, that undermines the series and puts unwanted focus on Battlefield 3 .
So far, Electronic Arts hasn't stepped forward in saying whether it's involved with the misleading site or not. But, from what I see, it's hard to believe that Electronic Arts isn't behind this brand sabotage somehow considering some of the wording and direct bashing at Modern Warfare 3 by EA representatives recently. The company isn't shy to use controversy to sell a game, after all. Remember, this is the same company that released an unsavory commercial for Dead Space 2 in January that strongly encouraged minors to pick up the M-rated game.
The main point to draw Electronic Arts into the fold might be all the sniping the companies have been directing towards each other as both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 release mere weeks apart from each other. The feud may run so deep, that a heavy rumor spread during E3 in June that EA didn't even allow Activision CEO and President, Bobby Kotick, a behind-closed-doors demo of Battlefield 3 .
Of course, Activision's domain dispute outed the owner of the URL as Florida resident Anthony Abraham yesterday suggesting that a single man decided to troll the Call of Duty publisher. Activision is, at this point, used to being seen as an evil, corporate overlord but the recent brouhaha over a guy securing the "www.modernwarfare3.com" URL is just a fun one to watch unfold.
After all, Activision has nothing to worry about except maybe losing a few million copies sold to Battlefield 3 over the confusion, but I have a feeling they'll be OK. The hype attached to Modern Warfare 3 will make this a non-issue in selling an upwards of 20 million (PS3 and Xbox 360 combined) copies this holiday season, anyway.
