Activision has officially announced details on its Call of Duty Elite online service. Offering advanced stat tracking and social features, Call of Duty Elite will have a free version and a premium version with a monthly fee. The primary goal of the service (in my opinion, anyway) is to keep Call of Duty gamers away from other shooters by offering “sticky” features. Here are some bullet points from the press release:
- Connect: Call of Duty Elite gives players unprecedented control over their multiplayer experience, transforming it into a true social network. Players can compete against friends, players of similar skill levels and players with similar interests, join groups, join clans, and play in organized tournaments. They can also track the performance, progress and activity of their entire network, both in the game itself, as well as through mobile and web interfaces. Elite will be an “always on” way for players to connect with the Call of Duty community.
- Compete: Call of Duty Elite establishes the most exciting, competitive environment in a multiplayer game. Players will have available a constant stream of events and competitions, tiered to group them with those with similar abilities. Both in-game and real-world prizes will be rewarded to all skill levels.
- Improve: Call of Duty Elite is like having a personal online coach. It provides players with a dynamic strategy guide that tracks their statistics and performances down to the most minute details. It can show gamers how they stack up against their friends or others in the community. Tools and information are provided so players can learn and up their game.
This is a brilliant move from Activision and a glimpse at the future of game publishing. The $60 buy-and-bye model is dying. DLC updates — both free and paid — help extend the lifespan of some games, but not others. Selling the socialization of gaming was the obvious next step, but it’s mostly uncharted territory for console game publishers. A unified system that allows you to stay in the game whether you’re on your console, work PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc. is genius for large, established franchises.
What do you think of Call of Duty Elite? Are you interested in the service? Would you be willing to pay for the premium service?
Meh. No thanks. In fairness, I really won't play the multiplayer anyway. I'll just rent it for the single player campaign.
Map Packs are inclusive with this. That's about the only good thing about this.
I'm not subbing though. I am smart enough on my own to remember where I'm most successful and with which kit.
No thanks. I like my MP to be completely random. I do hate playing with idiots, but I don't have enough online friends to ever see many of them online and the odds of getting the same game in at the same time is even slimmer.
I have fun playing online games with friends, but I am doing just fine playing with friends sans paying Activision extra money—so right now I have to say no thanks.
So the service costs $49.99 per year. Any of you going to pay up?
nope, that's way too much for me to pay for a game I'm not ridiculously attached to. I know some people who would probably pay for a service like that, but it's simply not worth it to me. Regular online play and interaction is fine for me, thanks.
$110 for MW3….nope.
BF3 > CoD