After years of speculation regarding the further monetization of the Call of Duty franchise, Activision has finally detailed the upcoming Call of Duty: Elite service. The service is set for a launch later this year, and will feature both a free version, as well as additional premium services. Activision has assured users that the multiplayer experience of future installments in the series, will remain free.
According to a report by VG247.com, the service is designed to integrate all useraccounts of Call of Duty: Black Ops and future installments into one encompassing system. Basic features of the system will be available to all users, while subscribers will be offered all downloadable content free of charge, and will have access to more advanced features. The specific differences between free and premium accounts has not been detailed yet.
Call of Duty: Elite will be accessible by means of in-game menus, a website, and mobile devices. The system will heavilly rely on social networking features, allowing users to get together with players who have similar playstyles or interests. Activision has stated it will make use of experience gained at Blizzard in turning this social platform into a success.
A beta version of the system is expected to go live during the summer, with the public release of the service expected shortly before the official release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on November 8th. Users interested in participating in the beta can sign up for a spot here.
While paying for stat tracking is as lame as it gets, i like the idea of adding some community feel to Call of Duty MP. It was there, to some degree, in CoD4 and before, but ever since servers and modding were dropped, it’s just impossible for me to just have a good time ala TF2.
8 bucks a month, though, no no.
This feels exactly like what Bungie did with Halo… why is this getting so much press?
I wonder if CoD will ever be integrated into Battle.net down the road if the franchise remains as strong as it is now.