Free Modern Combat 5 Update Arrives

Video game developer Gameloft isn’t happy with just selling possibly millions of copies of its Modern Combat 5 first-person shooter on the iPhone, iPad and devices running Google’s Android operating system. This week the developer revealed what’s affectionately being called by some as the Free Modern Combat 5 update. That’s exactly, what the new upgrade to Modern Combat 5 delivers among other things, the option to play without having to pay a single dime.

Gameloft announced the new free Modern Combat 5 update this past Wednesday, just as it began updating users who already have the game. Anyone and everyone who has a capable device can download Modern Combat 5 now, bringing it in line with many of the other free games that Gameloft offers. Gameloft Product Manager Valeruiu Ispir notes that by making Modern Combat 5 free the developer can extend its life-cycle, in a press release sent to GottaBeMobile. In theory, users won’t have to worry about a Modern Combat 6 coming as soon as they thought they would because of this update.

Anyone who purchased Modern Combat 5 when it had a cover charge get what Gameloft refers to as Veteran Status. They’ll receive unlimited energy for life, an exclusive kill sign and character camo plus too free credits to use in the game. Free-to-play games don’t have a cover charge. Instead, video game developers introduce a limited thing that users need in the game. The good free-to-play games make whatever that limited thing is earnable inside the game, but also allow people to buy more using real money. That limited thing in the case of the free Modern Combat 5 update seems to be energy.

To be clear, Modern Combat 5 going completely free is a big deal. The game reigns supreme in a market where franchises from big-name video game developers have yet to make a huge dent. Giving away Modern Combat 5 to iPhone and Android users would be like developer Activision handing out free copies of its enormously popular Call of Duty franchise. Modern Combat 5 is likely to dominate iTunes Store download charts for years to come.

Speaking of a console experience, one of this update’s biggest features is the ability to finally get something akin to a console experience on your iPhone or Android device. This Modern Combat 5 update brings with it support for external controllers, which is a god-send. Until now, players were forced to use the touch screen on their device. The experience wasn’t so horrible that the game was unplayable. That being said, trying to shoot someone in multiplayer on a smartphone with a small screen was an exercise in patience.

Besides eliminating the cover charge, Gameloft also included some other big changes in the Modern Combat 5 update. There’s a new Solider Class included in the game after the update called Support. As its name suggests, the point of this class is to provide support to other tactical focused players when necessary. He or she can heal other players, reduce the effects of buffs on the team, has an emergency reload and moves faster when he’s carrying the game’s new Light Machine gun. Players who’ve chosen Support are also a walking respawn point for their teammates.

The update includes some new server locations to get the best performance out of multiplayer. There also some customization options for logos, kill signs, masks and camo covered uniforms. Multiplayer lovers are getting a new game mode to try too. Called Zone Control, it mostly works just like you’d expect from a Capture The Flag mode from other first person shooters. Gameloft has also added a new weapon tier for everyone regardless of class.

Anyone who has already downloaded Modern Combat 5 will get the new update once they connect their device to a wireless network or manually start it. Modern Combat 5 on Windows Phone hasn’t yet gone free-to-play. That version of the game still costs $3.99 from the Windows Store.