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Call of Duty: Elite tangoes down this Friday
Activision is closing its premium Call of Duty: Elite service, nearly two years after it racked up more than 10 million registered users and 2 million paid subscribers. The service that provides in-depth stats, social networking, and clan-based features for Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 2 officially ceases to be on Friday, February 28 at 10AM PT/1PM ET. Despite that healthy subscription base - a year's membership cost $50 when Elite launched in 2011 - Activision made its services free alongside the launch of Black Ops 2 in 2012. The publisher then brought many of Elite's features forward to the companion app released for Call of Duty: Ghosts, and it's now encouraging users to download that app, perchance for future Duties such as the one in development at Sledgehammer Games. Activision has a FAQ detailing what this all means in greater detail. As a means of thanks to those who used the service, the publisher is doling out two hours of Double XP in Ghosts to members who've logged into Elite since January 1, 2014. It's an altogether subdued end to a service that was trumpeted as "Activision getting in front of our players and leading them into the future of connected entertainment." [Image: Activision-Blizzard]
Call of Duty Elite app gets Black Ops 2 support on iOS, Android
The Call of Duty Elite app has been updated on iOS and Android to support this week's monolithic debut, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. You can use the app to check your career stats and recent match performances, edit your classes, and search for and apply to Clans – pretty much the same stuff you can do with the app via Modern Warfare 3.You can also use it to stream Call of Duty Elite TV, access multiplayer guides, and track challenges. The iOS app is universal and compatible with all iDevices running iOS 5.0 or greater; however, the app does not have iPhone 5 screen support.
Call of Duty Elite's 'TV' content previewed
Through the Call of Duty Elite service, Activision plans to release periodic videos about Black Ops 2 gameplay strategies, along with community-made clips of interest, starting November 13. Here is a video about those videos.
COD Elite being extended until March 1, 2013 for MW3 early adopters
Here's good news for early Call of Duty Elite subscribers who may have been prepping their checking accounts for another premium subscription charge: You've got a few extra months to play. Activision has sent out emails to members who joined the Elite Premium service on launch day last year, extending their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Elite memberships until March 1, 2013.The same services (which include things like clan support, Elite TV, and a few other options) are going to be free for everyone in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Given the issues Elite had at launch, it seems sensible to let premium subscribers keep playing without paying any more.This leaves one question, however: What will happen to MW3 Elite Premium subscribers when subscriptions do end on March 1, 2013? A FAQ on the official website says Activision isn't taking any new subscribers at all, since new DLC is no longer being offered. We've contacted Activision for comment and will update if we hear back.Update: Activision says that "when your Call of Duty Elite Premium membership subscription term for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ends – whether on March 1, 2013 or after, your formerly "Premium" Elite membership for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 turns into a "Free" Elite membership for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3." So users will still have access to all of the features of MW3 Premium, but they won't have to pay. Feel free to keep shooting!
Black Ops 2 Wii U won't launch with Call of Duty Elite
Black Ops 2's Elite service won't be available in any form on the Wii U at launch, Activision says."We are currently evaluating options for Call of Duty Elite to support Nintendo's Wii U game system, however Call of Duty Elite for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will not support this platform when the game launches on November 13," Activision tells Kotaku.This is true in more than just the Elite sense, since the Wii U doesn't launch until November 18 in North America. Activision recently announced Elite will be free across all platforms for Black Ops 2 and will have a season pass for DLC, at least on Xbox 360. There's no word yet on a season pass for other platforms, but Activision is "working with Nintendo" to bring it to Wii U.
Modern Warfare 3 DLC's final assault on Xbox 360 next week (plus: PS3 gets stuff too)
On September 5, Call of Duty Elite premium subscribers on Xbox 360 will get their final three maps for Modern Warfare 3: Gulch, Boardwalk and Paris. If you're not a premium member of Activision's DLC delivery service, you can get these three new maps and two previously released stomping grounds – Parish and Decommission – in Content Collection #4 for 1200 Microsoft Points ($14.99). This is the final map pack for Modern Warfare 3.Elite premium members on PS3 also get some new content next week on September 6, namely a pair of Special Ops maps – Light 'Em Up and Special Delivery – and the new Special Ops Chaos Mode, a wave-based variant on Modern Warfare 3's vanilla Survival mode.
Modern Warfare 3's final two DLC packs fully reconnoitered
The year of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 post-launch content is coming to a close, but it's going out with a bang (gun pun fully intended). The Chaos Pack – previously half-detailed – brings three Face Off maps and four Spec-Ops missions, as well as a new mode, dubbed "Special Ops Chaos Mode." It's a wave-based survival mode, albeit with a Spec-Ops twist. The whole shebang launches for Xbox 360 on August 9, with PS3 and PC versions launching later on.In September, MW3 players on 360 get the "Final Assault" pack, which adds five multiplayer maps ("Gulch," "Offshore," "Boardwalk," "Decommission," and "Parish"), two of which are already available on 360. Again, this content arrives on PS3 and PC at a later (unknown) date. As Activision community blog One of Swords points out, Call of Duty's Elite season ends with more content than it originally promised, which seems pretty boss if you ask us. But don't go getting your precedents miscalibrated, as this may not be the case in future years.
Details on Modern Warfare 3's new Spec Ops missions
On August 9, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have the Chaos Pack available, featuring several new Spec Ops missions. Videogamer got the scoop from Sledgehammer Games on two of the new missions, Light 'Em Up and Special Delivery.Light 'Em Up takes place after the conclusion of the Modern Warfare 3 campaign, putting one player into the cockpit of a Little Bird helicopter as he attempts to cover another player who's on foot, running around a hydroelectric dam in search of intel on hostage positions. Special Delivery has no shortage of expensive war toys, charging players with reaching a downed pilot in unfriendly territory – one player mans an Osprey Gunner, providing cover fire from the air and deploying care packages to his partner on the ground.
Modern Warfare 3's July content for Elite PS3 and Xbox 360 subscribers
Call of Duty Elite members on Xbox 360 will get a new content drop in Modern Warfare 3 on Tuesday, July 17: three new multiplayer maps and a Spec Ops mission.The multiplayer maps include a graveyard of derelict ocean liners called Decommission, an oil rig built for sniping called Offshore, and the remake of Modern Warfare 2's Terminal map, available to Elite members on Tuesday and free for the rest of Modern Warfare 3's Xbox 360 players the following day. In the Spec Ops mission, Vertigo, players must take down enemy troops and helicopters while perched atop the Oasis hotel.On Thursday, July 19, Call of Duty Elite subscribers on PS3 get to tussle with three new Face-Off maps and a Spec Ops mission, content released on Xbox 360 back in June. Multiplayer maps include a tornado-rocked town called Vortex, a dilapidated middle-eastern highway in U-Turn, an urban NYC-based map called Intersection, and the Spec Ops mission, Arctic Recon, which tasks players with assaulting a Russian warship.%Gallery-160351%
Modern Warfare 3 Elite Premium getting Spec Ops mission, three Faceoff maps tomorrow on 360 [update]
Modern Warfare 3 "Elite" premium subscribers on 360 are getting a brand new Spec Ops mission and three new Faceoff missions tomorrow. That's according to the Twitter account of Infinity Ward Executive Producer Mark Rubin, who named the three maps "Vortex," U-Turn," and "Intersection," and the mission "Arctic Recon."Activision's official content calendar isn't updated to reflect Rubin's tweet just yet, but we expect it'll show up not too far from now. Despite the calendar showing three pieces of content – dubbed "map," "mission," and "classified" – don't panic. Rubin said "those guys need to update the categories to be more accurate," which translates to "I swear this is really the truth, regardless of what that silly old calendar says."As always, the content will show up a bit later for MW3 players on PlayStation 3 and PC, per Microsoft's long-standing exclusivity agreement with Acti. We reached out to the publisher for more information, screens and video, and will update this post when we know more.Update: The Infinity Ward Twitter account just dropped the image above of Spec Ops mission "Arctic Recon," and said that only two of the three Faceoff maps Rubin spoke of – "U-Turn" and "Vortext" – will go live tomorrow. The same account posted earlier that three Faceoff maps are included. We're trying to clarify the situation with Activision.Update 2: The tweet was deleted and updated to reflect all three maps. Okay then, to be clear: three Faceoff maps ("Vortex," "U-Turn," and "Intersection") and one Spec Ops map ("Arctic Recon").
'Cocked Hammers' is Will Arnett and Jason Bateman's CoD Elite comedy show
Ever since Activision revealed plans for Will Arnett and Jason Bateman's production company (dumbdumb) to create a comedy series for the Call of Duty Elite service, we've been ... uh ... well, to be honest, we totally forgot about it. But today a clip for that very comedy show popped up on Activision's Call of Duty channel, which revealed the show to be "Cocked Hammers."We've dropped the three minute tease just above, which offers a glimpse into what we can expect from the series. Thus far, it's Jason Bateman and Will Arnett playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 against each other while cracking jokes. Fingers crossed for something a bit less obvious next time around, though, in fairness, the clip does offer some legit yucks.
Face-Off mode coming to Modern Warfare 3 on PS3 June 15
PS3 players eager to get intimate with Modern Warfare 3's latest mode, Face-Off, will get their chance come June 15, the Infinity Ward Twitter account has revealed. Face-Off will be free for all Modern Warfare 3 players on PSN.Face-Off is a team-based match type designed for small numbers of players. Along with the free mode, PS3 players also get two free maps designed specifically for the new game type: Erosion and Aground.%Gallery-155256%
The Soapbox: Games-as-a-service sucks for the consumer
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. If you pay close attention to game industry marketing-speak, you've probably heard of something called games-as-a-service. It's an initiative that's been gaining momentum in recent years, as publishers and development houses look to increase revenue, strangle used game sales, and clamp down on both PC and console piracy. It's also championed by a few of our more clueless game "journalists," more often than not due to their (desire for a) cozy relationship with the aforementioned industry players. Put simply, games-as-a-service seeks to change both the definition and the public perception of the phrase "video game" from a product that you buy to a service that you rent, thereby granting developers and publishers complete control over the end-user's experience. If that sounds somewhat nefarious, that's because it is. It's also something that MMORPGs have been doing for two decades.
Rumor: EA to reveal COD Elite-like service for Battlefield 3 at E3
Electronic Arts is prepping its own subscription-based companion service for its flagship military-centric first person shooter, according to a "very reliable source" belonging to Battlefieldo. The service (dubbed Battlefield™ Premium) would be to Battlefield 3 what Activision's Call of Duty Elite program is to Modern Warfare 3, granting access to "a number of content drops with unique in-game items not available anywhere else," so sayeth the allegedly leaked press release."First out is the one-of-a-kind Premium knife and black dog tag," the missive continues, "plus a set of soldier camos, weapon camos, dog tags and Assignments that will make sure you stand out and get more personalization options." Should this all pan out, Battlefield Premium will be officially announced during E3, specifically on June 4. We've reached out to EA for comment and will update if/when we hear back.
Call of Duty Elite reaches 10 million users, 2 million paid subscriptions
Activision's Call of Duty Elite service puts another feather in its very busy cap today with a reported total of 10 million users, two million of which are paid subscribers. This is an increase of three million and 500,000, respectively, since last Activision dished out some numbers in February. The latest earnings report says it's "an increase of approximately 33% from January 31, 2012." As of March 31, Activision has 40 million monthly active users across all Call of Duty products and platforms.
Modern Warfare 3 on PS3 gets 'Sanctuary' and 'Foundation' maps this Thursday via COD Elite
PS3-based Call of Duty Elite members will have another "content drop" this Thursday, in shocking defiance of Sony's usual Tuesday download schedule.The maps "Sanctuary" and "Foundation," released just about a month ago on Xbox 360, will be available this week in Modern Warfare 3 for paying Elite-ists. "Sanctuary" is a monastery high above Greece, and "Foundation" is a former concrete factory in South Korea. Both are home to dudes who will fire guns at you, and at whom you will, in turn, fire guns.
Analysts: Modern Warfare 3 sales below Black Ops so far
Modern Warfare 3 had a strong start out of the gate, but hasn't shown the same vigor in sales as Treyarch's 2010 outing, Call of Duty: Black Ops – at least, according to industry analysts. Could the franchise fatigue we've seen across the pond be setting in here as well?According to comments made to Gamasutra, the firm estimates the total volume of sales for Modern Warfare 3 are down, somewhere around 4.2%, but it's not necessarily due to franchise fatigue. The firm posits that casual gamers are using their consoles more for streaming content (such as Netflix), and purchasing fewer games.Last month, year-over-year software sales continued to decline. The estimated sales for Modern Warfare 3 are for boxed copies only, mind you – Activision is making lots of cash on digital wares too.Activision has yet to comment on our inquiries, but with their annual earnings call due in the next couple weeks, we should hear one way or the other soon enough.
PSA: Modern Warfare 3 takes Sanctuary in Foundation on Xbox 360
Content drops 7 and 8 have deployed for Call of Duty Elite premium members on Xbox Live today. Multiplayer maps Sanctuary and Foundation are now available for download in Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox 360.Sanctuary (pictured above) takes place in Greece, throughout several different monasteries; Foundation is a map based in South Korea, inside a derelict factory. The two maps will be available to PS3 and PC players on some undisclosed future date.
Call of Duty Elite subs getting four more pieces of unnamed MW3 content this year
If those 20 pieces of planned DLC for Modern Warfare 3 weren't enough for you, perhaps four additional bits will do the trick. Activision is sharing the four-piece bonus with Elite subscribers throughout the coming months, but isn't saying exactly what the content will be. All we know is that it'll be interspersed throughout the planned Elite content "season."Elite's platform ubiquity is increasing as well, with the service's planned launch on tablets coming in the near future. Nearly 2 million folks have already snagged the app across both iOS and Android -- that's quite a few, considering approximately 7 million folks are Elite users. Activision promises a variety of (specified) updates to Elite's functionality over the next few months.%Gallery-150792%
Overwatch drops on Modern Warfare 3 PS3 March 29; Black Ice, Black Box and Negotiator 'on or around April 12'
PS3 players, you've got some new maps coming your way over the next 30 days. One of Swords reports that Overwatch is set to drop on Modern Warfare 3 PS3 on March 29. It'll be available to premium subscribers of the Call of Duty Elite service on PS3.Then, the multiplayer map Black Box, and two Spec Ops maps, Black Ice and Negotiator, will come to PS3 "on or around April 12." We recently got our hands on those maps, which we wrote about here.If you're wondering about the vague date, it's because the time for posting the DLC on the PlayStation Network is up to Sony -- it could go live in the morning, or it could go live late at night.
