Stung by PC gamer outrage over the lack of dedicated server support in Modern Warfare 2, Activision has responded with something they'll appreciate about as little: An exclusive deal making GameServers.com the only dedicated server option for Black Ops.
IGN reported the news on Friday. A ranked dedicated server will cost $14.95 per month, with 18 players maximum. Unranked servers will cost 99 cents a month per player, with a maximum of 24 players. There are fees for teamspeak support, and discounts for 3, 6 or 12 month prepays.
Josh Olin, community manager for Treyarch, empasized that using Treyarch-hosted servers is still free. He said the arrangement with GameServers will provide better cheating and hacking moderation.
"If you rent a server, you will still have the ability to Kick, Ban, and Configure it the way you see fit," Olin said, according to IGN. "Of course, Ranked servers will have some set configurations that can't be messed with; but you will still have the power to administrate your servers as a customer of GameServers."
Black Ops Dedicated Servers Come With a Catch [IGN]