Call of Duty: Elite
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| Developer(s) | Beachhead Studios |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiplayer online service |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Official website |
Call of Duty: Elite is a online service created by Beachhead Studios for the multiplayer portion for the first-person shooter video games Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The service features lifetime statistics across multiple games as well as a multitude of social-networking options.[1] While a free version is available, the subscription based portion of Elite includes exclusive premium features such as monthly downloadable content, daily competitions with virtual and real life prizes, the ability to level up players' clan, pro analysis and strategies, Elite TV, and more.[2]
As of January 2012 there are currently 7 million players who have signed up for the service, 1.5 million of which are premium paid members. Of the 40 million active Modern Warfare 3 players, this figure indicates just under a fifth of players have signed up for the free Elite service.[citation needed]
History
It was announced initially by The Wall Street Journal and was showcased at E3 2011 by Activision.[3]
The public beta was released on July 14, 2011 on the Xbox 360 exclusively for Black Ops. Invites for the PlayStation 3 version began being sent out on September 19, 2011. Call of Duty: Elite officially launched on November 8, 2011 to coincide with the release of Modern Warfare 3.[4] The PC version however, will be delayed for an unknown date. In a statement by Beachhead Studios' studio head, Chacko Sonny, the PC version needs to "Ensure a safe PC environment. It’s really extensive. We need more time to get there, so Elite on PC will not launch on Day 1."[5] It is not available on the Wii console, due to its lack of internet capabilities. Activison confirmed March 15, 2012 that they are still working on an Elite version for PC players.
Elite was met with intermittent service following the release of Modern Warfare 3. On November 8, 2011, the service was down for non-premium users until December 1, 2011. Beachhead Studios has acknowledged that the console app had seen unprecedented demand and had thus caused many of the outages experienced.[6] After various problems on and around release, Activision decided to automatically extend every paying members' subscription by 30 days. However, PlayStation 3 and PC Premium members are to receive their share of the Elite content after the Xbox 360 Premium members due to an ongoing contract between Microsoft and Activision.[7] Activision also stated that the service will be fully operational to both free and premium users by December 1, 2011.[6]
Connectivity
Call of Duty: Elite has a console app for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. The console app allows users to access Call of Duty: Elite on their consoles.[8]Elite has a mobile app which allows users to access Call of Duty: Elite on their smartphones.[9] In addition to this Elite has Facebook integration which allows users with Facebook accounts to see their Facebook friends when they come online to any Call of Duty title and allows them to invite their friends to a lobby from the Facebook app.[10]
Elite content releases
Elite offers access to downloadable content (DLC), called Content Drops, including extra missions and new multiplayer maps. These Drops began with the introduction of the multiplayer maps of Liberation and Piazza being made available to Xbox 360 players on January 24 2012 and to PlayStation 3 players in February 2012.
The Elite website promises access to "20 new multiplayer maps, Special Ops missions and more" during the Season of Content in 2012. But revealed in Robert Bowling's twitter page (#fourzerotwo) that there is to be 24 plus content for this 2012 season.
References
- ^ Pereria, Chris. "Call of Duty's Long-Rumored Subscription Service is Here". 1UP. 1UP. http://www.1up.com/news/call-of-duty-elite-long-rumored-subscription-service. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ "Call of Duty: Elite - What's Included?". 09-02-2011. http://www.callofduty.com/elite/whats-included.html. Retrieved 09-03-2011.
- ^ Houghton, David. "Call of Duty Elite officially announced: Socially-networks your CoD, is a lot like Bungie.net but with paid-for content". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3/news/call-of-duty-elite-officially-announced-socially-networks-your-cod-is-a-lot-like-bungienet-but-with-paid-for-content/a-20110531142132726075/g-20110513154613130025.
- ^ Ngak, Chenda (7 September 2011). "Call of Duty Elite details". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20102603-501465.html. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ Amrich, Dan (10-20-11). "Call of Duty: Elite October 2011 Update". http://www.oneofswords.com/2011/10/call-of-duty-elite-october-2011-update. Retrieved 10-21-11.
- ^ a b James, Mark (11-19-11). "Call of Duty Elite To Begin Armed Combat By December". http://thered99.com/1443/call-of-duty-elite-to-begin-armed-combat-by-december. Retrieved 11-20-11.
- ^ White, Alasdair (11-11-11). "30 Day Extention For Premium Members". http://www.gamespot.com/news/call-of-duty-elite-subscribers-to-get-extra-month-free-6344770.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom. "Console App for Call of Duty: Elite". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-17-modern-warfare-3-gets-dedicated-servers.
- ^ Perez, Daniel (05-31-2011). "Call of Duty: Elite launching alongside MW3 on iPhone, Android and beyond". http://www.intomobile.com/2011/05/31/call-duty-elite-launching-alongside-modern-warfare-3-iphone-android-and-beyond. Retrieved 09-20-2011.
- ^ Engen, Josh (09-03-11). "CoD XP: CoD: Elite Includes Facebook Integration". CheatCodeCentral. http://www.cheatcc.com/ccc_newsserver/Article.aspx?PostID=379086#.TmmutNSMuSo. Retrieved 09-09-11.
External links
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