Call of Duty: Black Ops III now has a cheaper, multiplayer-only version on PC

If you've been thinking about trying Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer, but weren't into the $60 price tag, Activision is launching a new version of the game just for you. Called the Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer starter kit, the new version gives you limited access to the multiplayer portion of the first-person shooter for the much more wallet-friendly price of $14.99. The kit is available on Steam starting today, but will only be available until February 29th.

For that price you'll be able to play in public ranked matches, as well as access features like the weapon paint shop, gunsmith, and arena. But there's a huge list of features that aren't included. You won't be able to play through the single-player campaign or the zombies mode, nor can you participate in custom multiplayer matches or access mods when they're eventually released. The starter kit is more of a first taste; if you decide you want the full experience, you can upgrade with the $14.99 deducted from the full price version of the game.

The bombastic campaigns of Call of Duty and its competitive multiplayer scene have always felt somewhat separate from one another, and this news could well be Activision starting to acknowledge this fact. While the campaigns have their fans, the multiplayer is clearly the more lucrative portion. When Activision had to scale down the PS3 and Xbox 360 port of Black Ops III in order to fit on the older hardware, it cut the story-portion of the game completely, turning it into a multiplayer-only experience. The company also launched an expensive new Call of Duty league in an attempt to cement the game's place in e-sports.