View Full Version : Activision Blizzard Announces $1 Million Endowment to Support Veterans
AgtFox
11-09-2009, 01:11 PM
On the positive side of things with all the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 controversies out there, Activision Blizzard has announced they will put $1 million towards Call of Duty Endowment or CODE for short.
The endowment will help groups that work with veterans coming back from overseas to find jobs. Unemployment with returning veterans is higher in the nation than the normal national average and it is obviously more difficult for vets to find jobs since they've been out of the job field for a year plus in most cases.
One of the first payments by CODE will be $125,000 to the Paralyzed Veterans of America to help open a vocational rehabilitation center. The board of CODE also has retired military leaders on its board.
A good move by Activision Blizzard and hopefully other companies will help in this cause.
Source: Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/08/AR2009110817897.html)
H.Bogard
11-09-2009, 01:17 PM
Well... shit. This is like one of those 'shades of gray' moral choice points from old cRPGs.
Do we still hate them?
AgtFox
11-09-2009, 01:23 PM
Well... shit. This is like one of those 'shades of gray' moral choice points from old cRPGs.
Do we still hate them?
Conspiracy theorists out there would probably say this was done in reaction to the crapstorm over the past couple weeks.
I think another fantastic idea here would be to put 5-10% of MW2 sales towards the endowment too. If the game sold more than the last one (12 million right now, right?) and we went at $60 per game (obviously there are the other editions), the score would be $720 million. 5% would be $36 million. Heck, 1% would be $7.2 million. And that's just at base $60.
TheFlyingOrc
11-09-2009, 01:38 PM
Veterinarians already make plenty of money.
H.Bogard
11-09-2009, 01:39 PM
Conspiracy theorists out there would probably say this was done in reaction to the crapstorm over the past couple weeks.
I think another fantastic idea here would be to put 5-10% of MW2 sales towards the endowment too. If the game sold more than the last one (12 million right now, right?) and we went at $60 per game (obviously there are the other editions), the score would be $720 million. 5% would be $36 million. Heck, 1% would be $7.2 million. And that's just at base $60.
Not all the copies might've sold at $60... and they'd never do something like that. Investors come first, PR comes second.
Kelegacy
11-09-2009, 01:40 PM
I heard Activision started WWII in order to create games based on them decades later. So this makes sense that they'd try to create reparations an endowment for vets.
;)
AgtFox
11-09-2009, 01:43 PM
Not all the copies might've sold at $60... and they'd never do something like that. Investors come first, PR comes second.
Right, I pointed out my numbers were at the $60 base price and that there were other versions obviously. Also my numbers were based on sales of the last game, which Kotick is expecting to be superceded by MW2.
The amount would be larger, we just don't know how many copies of the other versions there is.
Ancalagon
11-09-2009, 01:57 PM
$1 million is really a token gesture compared to how much the company gains, and unfortunately being as small an amount as it is makes it all the more obvious that its strictly a PR move timed to coincide with the release of MW2. Heck, it even has the game name in the title.
Using the problems and struggles of others to sell more copies of your game = fail.
Yes, I'm cynical. Perhaps we should be grateful they do anything at all, but really, this is... something else.
nixpayn
11-09-2009, 02:01 PM
$1 million is really a token gesture compared to how much the company gains, and unfortunately being as small an amount as it is makes it all the more obvious that its strictly a PR move timed to coincide with the release of MW2. Heck, it even has the game name in the title.
Using the problems and struggles of others to sell more copies of your game = fail.
Yes, I'm cynical. Perhaps we should be grateful they do anything at all, but really, this is... something else.
Total PR move if i ever saw one.. and i work with PR all the time.
And dont forget.. its 1 mill to them now.. but when tax time rolls around, the return makes it far less of a cost to them.
but still, its better than nothing.
CappinCanuck
11-09-2009, 02:33 PM
Total PR move if i ever saw one.. and i work with PR all the time.
And dont forget.. its 1 mill to them now.. but when tax time rolls around, the return makes it far less of a cost to them.
but still, its better than nothing.
Exactly. This isn't much of a gesture and a blatant PR grab. Oh well, I'm glad the money is going where it is, but this certainly shouldn't change anyone's opinion of the corp. In fact, it should lower it thanks to the transparent manipulation. Thumbs up for Vets, thumbs down to Activision.
Vigil80
11-09-2009, 03:53 PM
You guys are right on the money. $1 mil in the name of CoD is like me tossing a $10 bill to the salvation army santa so my friends think I'm a nice guy.
While it's PR, it's worth noting that it's still a million USD going to a good cause. If they're willing to put money into a charity, let them have the publicity in this case.
Charity for the wrong reasons is still charity to those who need it.
Ancalagon
11-09-2009, 04:06 PM
What would you say if I gave $1 to a homeless person and then paraded him around showing everyone how awesome I am?
That money represents very little to me, its wholly inadequate to fix the problem, and by parading him around showing off my "good deed" have I really done a good deed at all?
Its the same in this case.
What would you say if I gave $1 to a homeless person and then paraded him around showing everyone how awesome I am?
That money represents very little to me, its wholly inadequate to fix the problem, and by parading him around showing off my "good deed" have I really done a good deed at all?
Its the same in this case.
I'd think you were a dick, but a charitable one at the very least.
Same thing about Acti: Dicks, but they did something right.
Wraith
11-09-2009, 04:15 PM
If Activision had not had these recent PR snafus, most of them having to do with MW2, and had announced the C.O.D.E. program, would everyone still be calling it a PR stunt?
How often do big game publishers donate $1M toward one particular charity or cause?
shodan2020
11-09-2009, 04:27 PM
I think this is a good idea, seeing as how my country doesn't treat it's veterans as well as it should (see Walter Reed). Does it matter that Activision could stand to give more? Not really, the bell ringers don't bitch you out for giving a dollar when you could easily give $10 and shouldn't. Also, $1 million isn't anything to sneeze at either.
Squidbot
11-09-2009, 04:30 PM
Blizzard gives some money from the sale of some in game pets to charity = they're dicks.
Acti Blizz give some profits to charity = they're still dicks.
PR? Quite possibly. Are they still giving money to charity? YES!
SilentScreams
11-09-2009, 04:40 PM
I made a little joke to myself as I clicked this thread that some people on here would still manage to find something negative about Activision giving money to charity...turns out it wasn't as much of a joke as I thought. You guys have outdone yourselves.
Also, I'm reminded of a post I made a while ago:
I feel really sorry for Kotick. He's probably the one guy on the planet who could donate $1,000,000 to a charity and still get flamed to hell for it. Especially on this site.
Not exactly "flamed to hell", but I found it funny that I wasn't far off at all with what was meant to be an exaggeration.
bstiff
11-09-2009, 04:42 PM
$1 million is really a token gesture compared to how much the company gains, and unfortunately being as small an amount as it is makes it all the more obvious that its strictly a PR move timed to coincide with the release of MW2. Heck, it even has the game name in the title.
Using the problems and struggles of others to sell more copies of your game = fail.
Yes, I'm cynical. Perhaps we should be grateful they do anything at all, but really, this is... something else.
considering blizzard pulls in >100 million a month with wow subscriptions, sounds like token to me too.
Squidbot
11-09-2009, 04:44 PM
considering blizzard pulls in >100 million a month with wow subscriptions, sounds like token to me too.
Oh god, no! A company makes money! THE BASTARDS! And now they're being forced to give some money to charity? What a bunch of assholes!
Squidbot
11-09-2009, 04:56 PM
Have any of you actually read it? It's not simply a donation, you know?
And it's not like they haven't done it before, by the way, Activision donated a portion of the proceeds from sales of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero to the United Services Organization last year. (http://www.wargamer.com/article/2595/activision-donating-to-uso-for-holidays)
And Blizzard (http://www.gallerynucleus.com/gallery/exhibition/143) are clearly total assholes (http://www.wow.com/2007/05/22/blizzard-and-make-a-wish-bringing-wow-to-life/)when it comes to charities.
AgtFox
11-09-2009, 04:56 PM
Originally Posted by SilentScreams http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?p=366942#post366942)
I feel really sorry for Kotick. He's probably the one guy on the planet who could donate $1,000,000 to a charity and still get flamed to hell for it. Especially on this site.
Trust me when I saw we are not the only site that would flame him about things like this. I think it's a good move, but I also think they could give a percentage of the sales from MW2 to help the people whose real life they mirror into a game.
bstiff
11-09-2009, 04:56 PM
Oh god, no! A company makes money! THE BASTARDS! And now they're being forced to give some money to charity? What a bunch of assholes!
if you got the money, do it right. look at gates, he gives out a billion a year. A million isn't a much money as most people think.
Squidbot
11-09-2009, 05:00 PM
if you got the money, do it right. look at gates, he gives out a billion a year. A million isn't a much money as most people think.
You know what, you're right. I don't give as much of my disposable income to charity as I could afford, so I guess I'll just stop entirely. Thanks for helping me see where I was going wrong.
Kelegacy
11-09-2009, 05:23 PM
Tax write-off anyway. So this benefits them in more than one way. PR, obviously--the news and gaming sites on the internet are talking about it if we are. The title Call of Duty is in the endowment, so it markets their product while giving to charity. And tax benefit, which benefits them in the philanthropy department.
Giving to charity is still good, but Activision is benefiting from this just as much, if not more, than the charity itself. So it's a win-win.
You guys are crazy if you think this has anything to do with the recent slate of bad moves they've made.
Bandango
11-09-2009, 08:54 PM
It's something. Good on them.
J Arcane
11-09-2009, 09:26 PM
This is just their apology to all the fine men and women in the armed services who are going to be royally pissed when their copies finally arrive. ;)
Savok
11-09-2009, 10:28 PM
At least it's doing something useful rather then feeding the cocaine habit of some ad executive. That's where the money comes from by the way, the advertising budget. But hey, better this then a sequel to the FAGS video or something.
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