Call of Duty Black Ops III Gets a Cheaper, Multiplayer-Only Version for PC

Despite being the best-selling game of 2015 worldwide, Activision thinks there are people who may have been teased off by the heavy starting price of Rs. 3,999 for its latest shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops III. That's because it has announced a multiplayer-only version of the game for Steam, available for download only until the end of this month, February 29.

(Also see: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - How to Bring Back High and Ultra Settings on PC )

Terming it the "Multiplayer Starter Pack", the newly available downsized version of Black Ops III will cost Rs. 990 but comes with a few caveats. It will only provide access to publicly ranked multiplayer games and side features such as Weapon Paint Shop, Gunsmith, Arena, Free run, Theatre, and the Black Market.

Activision has also provided a list of things that are not part of the new version, namely:

• Zombies game mode
• Campaign game mode
• Ability to play in Multiplayer custom games
• Ability to Prestige (your level will be capped at 55 in the Starter Pack)
• Access to mod tools or modded content (once released)
• Access to unranked server browser (once released)
• Ability to Fresh Start your profile
• The ability to access Dead Ops Arcade II and Nightmares mode

With Activision Blizzard missing its target for the quarter as detailed in its quarterly report, this may be a way for the company to get some money out of players who were never planning to fork over the original amount for the full game anyway. But the company is still keeping that option open though, in hopes of the starter pack convincing you to buy the full version. The full game upgrade) will run you Rs. 3,009, taking the final cost to the same as buying the game outright. That's only fair, and the MP Starter Pack serves as a paid demo in effect. You can also choose to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe version of Black Ops III for Rs. 5,625 which comes with the Season Pass.

The Season Pass will guarantee access to four downloadable content (DLC) map packs to be released throughout the year. Alongside that, the Digital Deluxe edition contains "The Giant" zombie bonus map and three different personalisation packs that offer weapons, reticles and calling cards.

(Also see: No Multiplayer DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 on PS3 or Xbox 360)

Call of Duty: Black Ops III received an 8 out of 10 in our review last year, and was praised for its sprawling campaign and rewarding different playing styles.