Pay to Play Call of Duty?

That is the question after a recent statement that was made by Activision's Bobby Kotick after the rumor mill has been swirling about Activision making a Call of Duty MMO that would require a subscription to play online.

"If you think about the success that we've had in other product categories on subscription, you can get a sense of the direction that we want to take that franchise,"

Quick to show that they are not down with that decision if it happens, Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling released a statement.

"This rumor has absolutely nothing to do with Infinity Ward or our games, including Modern Warfare 2. We would never introduce such a system for Modern Warfare 2 so don't worry. Multiplayer will always be equal and free for everyone as always."

What does this mean for all of the parties involved if Call of Duty turns into a subscription based service?  Not really sure at this point, but what I do want to know is if the people in charge at Activision and EA are drinking the same water.

Joystiq