Call of Duty Elite is the paid 'digital platform' from Beachhead Studios, built for MW3 [Update: Now with video!]

by Christopher Grant on May 30th 2011 9:35PM

[Note: Our preview of the Call of Duty Elite service is live here!]

Hours ahead of the agreed-upon embargo for the news, the Wall Street Journal is the first to report on Call of Duty Elite, the long-reported "digital platform" in development at Activision's new Beachhead studio. Designed to complement this fall's Modern Warfare 3, Elite will be a paid service though "portions of the service will be free" including a Facebook-inspired Groups feature.

Other features of the service include the Bungie.net-like ability to display stats to analyze player performance, "gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies." If you're worried that you'll suddenly have to pay for online multiplayer in Call of Duty titles, don't be. The Journal reports that "players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service."

Activision hasn't yet pinned down a price point, though it does expect the cost to be less than comparable "online-entertainment services" like the $8/month Netflix. Part of that fee will go towards a "customer-service operation that will be needed to support it." It will also include the year's map packs, which cost $15 each, taking some of the sting out of any annual charge.

[Update: The trailer detailing the entire service has been leaked on YouTube – hat tip @CheapyD – ahead of tomorrow morning's 9am embargo; if the WSJ article left you with some questions, try the video after the break. Still have questions? We'll do our best to answer everything tomorrow morning! Update 2: Looks like Activision pulled the original YouTube trailer but, now that the embargo's up, we added our own version after the break. Click away!]

Source: WSJ

Tags: Activision, beachhead-studios, call-of-duty-elite, call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3, infinity-ward, mac, microsoft, mobile, modern-warfare-3, pc, playstation, ps3, sledgehammer-games, treyarch, xbox

Reader Comments (161)

hmmmm. too soon to pass judgement on anything, but if it's like $5/month for like a map every two weeks I dunno. we'll see. Too excited about BF3 to care much about this...

@electricfuture

I agree. For people who are really into it and can keep that enthusiasm, this could be something really cool. And I hope it is.

But for someone like me who plays a ton of it for 2-3 months and doesn't touch it again, not so inviting.

Also BF3 right around the corner doesn't help with the appeal.

@electricfuture

Brofist to that one my friend! :D

@electricfuture
If they release a map every 2 weeks then:
A) People who don't pay end up playing the same 4 maps over and over again.
and/or
B) People who do pay end up with 35 maps by the end of the year, none of which you play.
I hope this fails miserably; it will only lead to further price-gouging by companies that could give a shit about its customers.
If Bungie can do 90% of this stuff for free why can't Activision do the same?

@D3m0sthenes

I feel the same way as you. I get MWarfared out eventually. My COD experience EVERY time goes as follows: Play the hell out of it for the first week, second week finally reach time to prestige as I don't play exactly everyday or more than 2 hours at a time, get bored, lose enthusiasm, pick up randomly every 5-10 days later, play for an hour tops, then quit and repeat another 5-10 days later.

@D3m0sthenes I agree with what you're saying. I've played the hell out of every CoD game, campaign and MP, but BF3 is becoming more appealing to me.

@electricfuture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7LbKKj7EU

Thats a video with some features (its Black Ops at the start but it shows some MW3 Elite features in it)

@electricfuture
Would you shut up! Why is everything about BF3! This video is for cod so we dont have to talk about Battlefield (dont get me wrong their probably the best games ever invented) but I get so tired of people saying how much they hate CoD! I think we established back when the dinosaurs died out that CoD are fun for the first week but suck afterward. I mean every time theirs a post about cod all the battlefield fanboys (including myself) rush over here to the comments section to see whats old with Cod. And your're probably saying right now that anybody who likes battlefield cannot like CoD, well guess what, I'm that one in a million.

@electricfuture
ok, even at $5 a month, they would need to release 4 map packs a month. given that Activision releases a new CoD game every year, i don't think that will ever happen. and people think $5 a month for Xbox Live is a rip off.

@electricfuture

You mean 10 dollars a month for 4 maps? I guess that's a deal compared to the overpriced 15 dollars they usually charge for maps. But nothing worth buying a subscription over and I doubt they can produce that many maps that fast on a consistent basis unless they hold back a shit ton.

This service won't be worth the money except for the hardest core of CoD players.

I see future of CoD taking 2 possible paths.
1. It will underperform, to Activision's expectations or to past CoD sales.
or
2. This is where CoD peaks and it's all downhill from there.

you mean they want moar money?

@182

Holy shit, you're right. Wait a second, now that I think about it, isn't Activision a business!? My god, the clues have been there the whole time!!!

@A Sandwich

Activision is a business? I would have thought they were some mutant, devil-esq offspring of all that is evil.

@jph89

Clearly you've led a very carefree, sheltered life if Activision is your definition of "evil". I envy you, sweet bumpkin.

@A Sandwich

Activision rapped my mother and made me and my dad watch. Then charged us $15 for it.

@jph89

But was it good rap? Freestyle? We need details man!

@ironneko

No, it was like Marky Mark meets Vanilla Ice.

@jph89

I've misjudged the evils done you. Flame away, my friend.

@182
When you give Activision all your cash, they'll want your credit card. When you give them your credit card, they'll give you back those maps you liked. When you've reached your credit limit, they'll sell you "Elite" status for your soul. Once Activsion owns your soul, you'll send them your resume.

@Saiyan26
And they won't hire you.

So..It's like Bungie Pro?

@littlejay2o02

Also, the tracking of weapons and how successful you were with them are already in past CoD games as well, for free.

@DevilSei OO track stats for a game that is only good for 1 year. Lets do the same for Madden!

@littlejay2o02 Exactly but like the guy above they are making you pay for some stuff that bungie gives you for free.

And so it begins...

@IdSayBARELY

Took the words right out of my mouth.

I guess I'm done with the shooter genre this year.

@IdSayBARELY

"And so it begins..."

No doubt. This year, the pay service gives you hardcore stats that only a select few want.

Next time, the service is required if you want to play online with a used copy of the game, like Project Ten Dollar.

Then, the service gives you an actual competitive advantage, like access to exclusive weapons.

Activision is betting big money that users will spend more money, and take more abuse, to play a franchise for years after its key creative talents have left the building. We'll see...

@IdSayBARELY

All of this has happened before...

and it will all happen again...

@copa

"like access to exclusive weapons."

you mean like EA was planning to do with Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Metal of Honor?!?!

thinking about it, they did go with it on BFBC2. SPECTAC weapons anyone?

@IdSayBARELY

They set up a studio for this sole purpose, called it Project Beachhead.

This is weird, because Michael Pachter's prediction of a payed premium CoD service way back in February, was the subject of one of my articles I submitted in my, "Hey, you! Wanna write for Joystiq?" application.

Pachter, you crazy time travelling wizard, how do you do it.?

The short version: Pachter saw this exact thing coming from a mile away: http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/710362/call-of-duty-multiplayer-fee-coming-analyst-michael-pachter/

I predict... 115 comments.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
I'm going for 250

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

... and Sandwiches.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze I'm expecting at least 200 by this time tomorrow.

@usualyksint
i see 325

...

More COD games...

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my Did someone call for a taco?

@A Sandwich
and cup cakes!

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

"Most of them hate / praise"

LOLOLOLOLOL PRAISE

its a COD article, everyone acts like they are too cool for COD here, they love to name drop BF3 though, that way you know they are original and fun, and not with that "mainstream" game COD (P.S. - BF series is mainstream too idiots)

@PR0F3TA

For realsies.

I only play Noah's Ark 3D. That shit wasn't even licensed...that's how unique and quirky I am.

In fact, seventh generation consoles are too mainstream. You people are sheep.

I'll be over here, sheep...playing my Tiger handheld LCD port of Double Dragon, listening to a Chinese cellist covering Kraftwerk songs and eating marzipan goat chesse pizza.

Sheep.

@Sprinkled Cupcake Stop that! Stop being food, I haven't had breakfast! :(

I'm keeping my eye on you Activision.

.>

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4313/61vx3rqrl8uy7.gif

Wait, am I missing something?

They want us to pay for service that includes "stats to analyze player's performance" ?

@Hi iTs SlayeR

I got the same feeling. It's free from Bungie. And they're charging for social networking stuff, also free from other sources. I see it being helpful for MLG and people in clans, but for everyone else, it's discretionary spending that doesn't enhance the gameplay experience.

if it's aless than 5 I will probably pay for it. Can't wait for Modern Warfare 3 first day purchase for me.

@gmr4life
http://lolpics.se/pics/482.jpg

I don't get it.....so instead of paying a one-time fee for map packs, we'd have to subscribe to this dumbass service? F&%$ YOU Activision.

@Goku1910

No.

The map packs will still be sold on a price per pack basis on XBL/PSN.
One of the "benefits" to this service will be that the subscriber will get all of the map packs without having to buy them separately.

Basically the two benefits of this service are the stats analysis and the map packs.

Hard core MW multiplayer fans will get this service. I don't see much appeal to it for most players though.

Thus far I don't really see the value of this unless you're some extreme COD fanboy.

@Pennegan Indeed. I play a bit of COD, but there's nothing in that description that I would pay for. The only way I could see myself doing it is if ALL of my COD buddies decide to pay for it AND I was at some kind of disadvantage by being the only one not to pony up.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty Elite is the paid 'digital platform' from Beachhead Studios, built for MW3 [Update: Now with video!]

Reader Comments (161)

Posted: May 30th 2011 9:40PM electricfuture said

Posted: May 30th 2011 9:52PM D3m0sthenes said

Posted: May 30th 2011 10:00PM StrangeObjective said

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Posted: May 30th 2011 9:40PM littlejay2o02 said

Posted: May 30th 2011 11:01PM DevilSei said

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Posted: May 31st 2011 12:07AM The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross said

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