Update 1: Robert Bowling from Infinity Ward just Tweeted this about the Call of Duty Elite service.
We'll have more on the service tomorrow morning it seems!
Original:
The Wall Street Journal has broke the news that Activision is readying an announcement that will find the next Call of Duty title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, offering up a pay to play monthly subscription fee. The service, called Call of Duty Elite will be a monthly payment that will "provide extra content that isn't offered on game discs sold in stores, including downloadable map packs that give players new "Call of Duty" levels to play."
Bobby Kotick says that this service will not hinder players who just want to play the game normally online against other players. It is instead for those wanting a bit more from their game. Prices have yet to be finalized for Elite but are said to be comparable to other online services like Netflix. These prices will be on top of the base cost of the game (estimated to be $60 USD again), plus costs already associated with Xbox Live Gold, your monthly ISP fee, or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Kotick went on to say:
Rob Dyer, Senior VP of Publisher Relations at Sony pointed out that if this is successful, more companies are sure to follow suit:
And you thought IW.net was the biggest worry you had with the PC release of Modern Warfare 3.
COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM.
We'll have more on the service tomorrow morning it seems!
Original:
The Wall Street Journal has broke the news that Activision is readying an announcement that will find the next Call of Duty title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, offering up a pay to play monthly subscription fee. The service, called Call of Duty Elite will be a monthly payment that will "provide extra content that isn't offered on game discs sold in stores, including downloadable map packs that give players new "Call of Duty" levels to play."
Portions of the service will be free, including features inspired by Facebook Inc. that will let "Call of Duty" players meet for online gun battles with others who share various affiliations and interests.
Another feature of the service will give "Call of Duty" players tools, modeled on those from stock-trading websites, to analyze their performance within the game, gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies.
Another feature of the service will give "Call of Duty" players tools, modeled on those from stock-trading websites, to analyze their performance within the game, gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies.
Bobby Kotick says that this service will not hinder players who just want to play the game normally online against other players. It is instead for those wanting a bit more from their game. Prices have yet to be finalized for Elite but are said to be comparable to other online services like Netflix. These prices will be on top of the base cost of the game (estimated to be $60 USD again), plus costs already associated with Xbox Live Gold, your monthly ISP fee, or PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Kotick went on to say:
In an interview, Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said he isn't worried about pushback from gamers about the Call of Duty Elite fee because players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service. While he is coy about many of the offerings that will be included in the service, Mr. Kotick said Call of Duty Elite, and the customer-service operation that will be needed to support it, wouldn't be possible if the service was free. "This is an enormous investment," he said.
Rob Dyer, Senior VP of Publisher Relations at Sony pointed out that if this is successful, more companies are sure to follow suit:
Rob Dyer, senior vice president of publisher relations at Sony's U.S. games division, said only a few games have the audience loyalty and size to support a subscription service like Call of Duty Elite. Mr. Dyer said he is "very confident" other publishers will follow Activision's lead. "There's money to be made there," he said.
And you thought IW.net was the biggest worry you had with the PC release of Modern Warfare 3.
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