The Monday letters page in Games Inbox sees readers discussing the possibility of Call Of Duty becoming free-to-play, hoping for a FIFA 2K28 rival, and reacting to The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel leaks.
Call Of Duty's Future
One reader, Keister, noted that Activision almost gave the whole game away free with the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta. They believe Call Of Duty becoming free was the inevitable end game for the series, recalling that in the 2010s the games were known for relatively few microtransactions and value for money. Now, the reader says, the Call Of Duty name is not what it was, and nobody talks about value anymore, just the same old thing every year. They think it will finally go free and fare well against Fortnite because Call Of Duty is a good shooter, but everything else around the game is slowly getting worse.
Hopes For A FIFA Rival
Another reader, Noisegun, hopes 2K is working on a FIFA game, as it is well beyond time for a proper EA Sports FC rival. They can't see what else 2K is hinting at, given the people they've hired, but acknowledge the possibility of cancellation due to the cost and difficulty. If it happens, it would presumably be like NBA 2K but for football, making for an unusual matchup of two massive budget sports games. The reader feels it won't happen, but with Xbox going down the drain, it would be nice to have some proper competition in video games.
Pokémon Pokopia's Success
Limpton praised Pokémon Pokopia's success, noting that most people figured it would be an easy-to-ignore spin-off. They argued that word of mouth and reviews, not marketing, determine a game's hit status. Despite many Pokémon spin-offs over 30 years, only early ones like Pokémon Pinball are remembered. The reader takes positives from this, believing it's never too late for a franchise to come good, and no game or spin-off should be discounted until seen. They cited Pokémon Pinball and Minecraft with Pokémon as examples of seemingly dumb ideas that turned out great.
Marvel Curse And TV Trends
Ashton Marley discussed the Marvel curse, noting it doesn't make sense but seems to happen every time. They pointed out that without Insomniac's Spider-Man games, there wouldn't be any hit Marvel game not on mobile. Even then, Spider-Man has to be the main character or it's still a flop. They were shocked The Avengers game didn't sell well despite name recognition, and speculated gamers don't particularly like superhero games. They suggested giving licences to indie developers to see what they can do, as they couldn't do any worse and might bring interesting new ideas.
Rankore agreed with the idea of Netflix previews becoming common, especially if GTA 6 does it. They're not against it and think it could help get more obscure games noticed, though it would be pointless if it was just stuff that sells anyway, like Call Of Duty and FIFA.
The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel
Zeiss commented on The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel, saying they're not disappointed yet but agree with a Reader's Feature about non-event game reveals. They noted Xbox's tweet was figured out in five minutes, leading to mockery. They miss the days of teaser videos followed by full reveals with gameplay footage. Now it's endless leaks and publishers pretending people don't know everything. They believe publishers aren't in control of the narrative, except for Rockstar and Nintendo, who say little but make it worth waiting. They expect more rumours about Sentinel and bet on Bethesda or Xbox revealing something by accident.
Cafe Eden added that The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel is a pretty cool name, but they're just as sceptical as everyone else about it being any good.
