You may have been hearing rumours about Activision planning to introduce premium online features for their Call of Duty franchise. They are no longer rumours. Activision call their premium online service as Call of Duty Elite and it is planned to be subscription based. The Call of Duty Elite website went live today, offering registrations for the beta which is due this summer. The service is set to ship with Modern Warfare 3, while the beta testing will be done with Black Ops.
The service will offer premium features that will benefit the Call of Duty gamers in three ways. Firstly, it aims to unite the entire Call of Duty fan base with a real social network. This means that the service will always be available to gamers via a wide range of platforms which include mobile phones, web browsers and other web connectivity devices in addition to being in-game. Secondly, the service aims to render a fiercely competitive environment for gamers by stacking up competitions and events which will offer in-game and real world rewards. Thirdly, the service will help you evaluate and improve your skills in Call of Duty with the help of special tools and detailed statistics. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or a beginner, these tools and statistics will gauge you against similar players and help you improve your game. Activision also announced that Call of Duty Elite will be integrated with every future Call of Duty game. It will carry your gameplay history from each Call of Duty game into a career record, something similar to what Halo Waypoint does now. No official information regarding the subscription charges have been revealed yet. As thing stand now, those of you who feared that Activision might charge for the multiplayer content in future Call of Duty games can breathe easy. You can enjoy your daily dose of COD multiplayer action as it is. But, if you want to go a step further and benefit from the Call of Duty world to the fullest, this feature might interest you. You can register for the beta by entering your Email address, platform of preference (Xbox 360, PS3 or Steam) and date of birth at the Call of Duty Elite website . You will be intimated by email later, if you have qualified to take part in the beta.