For anyone thinking of buying the original PC versions of Black Ops 1, 2, or 3 to play online because of this, DON’T. Whether it’s zombies or multiplayer, the vanilla PC games are vulnerable to remote arbitrary code execution exploits that allow anyone in the game you’re playing to run any code they want on your computer.

If you absolutely must play these games online, go download Plutonium and play that way to protect yourself.

Step 1: Try making some games to test the waters. People seem to enjoy them.

Step 2: Make some better games. People are hooked.

Step 3: keep making decent games, but increase prices and/or add microtransactions. People don’t like them, but the games are good enough for them to give you a pass.

Step 4: Cut costs, layoff staff, make worse games. People are complaining, but still buying, hoping the issues are temporary and the next game will be great again.

Step 5: Cut corners wherever possible. Lower the production costs to absolute minimum. Games are barely functional, and hardly any fun. And yet they’re bringing in more money than ever before. Somebody is paying for this mess despite all the complaints online.

Step 6: Keep going. You don’t even remember what a decent video game is. But hey, Call of Duty: Black Ops 17 just sold 3 million copies and even more battle passes thanks to its f2p game mode. Who the hell is buying this? Nobody knows. But the money keeps flowing in.