Here's a summary of the Infinity Ward Dedicated Servers Saga - Modern Warfare site BashandSlash had an interview with FourZeroTwo, who stated there would be no dedicated servers or mod tools in Modern Warfare 2 for the PC version, only matchmaking. The gamers then responded by petitioning all over the IW forums and on separate petition sites. Boycotts errupted, and without any official numbers, it is fair to say that the comments read from other posts state clearly the intention of many gamers - cancel pre-orders. Infinity Ward retaliated to the assault by deleting the two largest threads petitioning and boycotting their game. Yesterday, a private message from FourZeroTwo on Twitter was leaked, stating: "Definitely made a big wave, and the response will not be ignored. I'll ensure everyone at IW sees the petitions and responses to it."
Now, several days after the initial news, Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West issued an official response, and things don't look good. Jason said, "We're just prioritizing the player experience above the modders and the tuners," indicating the PC fans who avoided the game due to cheaters, tight rules on servers, and skill level differences. "We thought maybe it would be cool if the fans could play the game."
The IW heads said noted several times that "hardcore PC gamers" will not lose much in this transition, ensuring that the change helps the casual and moderate fanbase. Jason makes clear that groups can still establish private matches and training under the new system, though he fails to recognize the substantial impact that ProMod and other mods have made, stating that those will cease to exist in the new version.
When GameInformer asked Zampella about piracy and its impact, he cited, "The Steam stuff helps with the piracy. I don't know that the matchmaking stuff does." West acknowledged that some of the reason for owning dedicated servers is to rent them out and sell adspace on them, funding clans and companies: "It's a little dubious. Some of the people complaining are complaining with their pocketbook."
West says that there will be no compromise to include both dedicated servers and the new system, saying it would "just bifurcate the community."
Yeah - everyone would play on the dedicated servers. Thoughts?