Not one of Call of Duty's two million Elite subscribers? While paid members have been getting monthly content drops, there are still many players that want to buy their DLC piecemeal. That's where the "Content Collections" come in.
Activision's Call of Duty Elite subscription service now has two million paying members, growing by 33% since the end of January. With a $50 price tag, Activision has managed to squeeze out $100 million in additional revenue from Call of Duty players.
With all the hubbub over Call of Duty's "season of content" for Modern Warfare 3, it's nice to see Activision throw non-paying fans a bone with some free DLC. Coming May 15th is the new Face Off mode--created specifically for 1v1 and 2v2 battles. Best of all, two Face Off maps--Aground and Erosion--will be free to all Xbox 360 players, not just Call of Duty Elite members.
Subscription models are lucrative. While Microsoft rakes in the dough with Xbox Live, Sony has been trying to entice PS3 gamers to invest in PlayStation Plus. A recent survey shows how Sony is playing with the formula, seeing what would generate the most interest in the premium PSN service.
For example, the survey quizzes interest in offering "new Blu-ray games" with the subscription, or offering free access to Call of Duty Elite with a Plus membership.
PC gamers have long felt like second-class citizens in the Call of Duty ecosystem. However, Modern Warfare 3 has proven those fears wrong--they're actually third class citizens. Neither paid or free forms of the Call of Duty Elite service are available for PC players--despite reassurances. And none of the post-release content has yet to arrive on PC.
Well, that finally changes next month, with the release of the first "Content Collection" on PC.
Like clockwork, Call of Duty Elite members can expect their monthly Modern Warfare 3 DLC tomorrow. As promised, April's content drop consists of two maps: Sanctuary & Foundation. It will be available to paid Call of Duty Elite members on Xbox Live tomorrow, and should be available to paying Elite members on PS3 next month. Non-Elite members can expect this DLC to drop in a general "Content Collection" later in the year--first on Xbox Live, of course.
As promised, the first DLC for Modern Warfare 3 that doesn't require a Call of Duty Elite subscription will be available on Xbox Live on March 20th. It is the first of four "Content Collections" that will be available for MW3. It will bundle all the content that Elite members have already received in January and February, as well as the content in March's drop.
Call of Duty Elite has become a smash success for Activision, inspiring hopeful imitators. The company revealed just how successful its been in today's Q4 2011 earnings call today, announcing that it's preparing a "2.0" launch to coincide with the next Call of Duty title. Currently the service has reached more than 1.5 million premium annual memberships.
Finally! Non-Elite peons of Call of Duty's online community will be able to buy the first map pack for Modern Warfare 3. The first "Content Collection," described as "a compilation of content previously released to Call of Duty Elite premium members" will be available in March for Xbox 360 players.
That means the first map pack should include Piazza, Liberation, and Overwatch.
Electronic Arts has made some significant progress in its attempts to capture more of the market share of the first-person shooter. Battlefield 3's piece of the first-person pie jumped eleven percent last year--from 13% to 24%--but the publisher is thinking of ways to up the ante even further. Recognizing the success of Activision's Call of Duty Elite service, EA is determined to get "one step ahead," perhaps by developing a similar service for its own military shooter franchise.
As promised, Call of Duty Elite premium members will be able to download one extra map for Modern Warfare 3 this month. "Overwatch" (pictured above) will be available for Xbox Live Gold members with Elite subscriptions on February 21st.
Beachhead Studio is getting closer to releasing Clan Operations for Call of Duty Elite. The handy Clan organization feature will add competitions with experience and prizes on the line, to give more incentive for using and leveling up with your fellow clan members. It's ultimately aimed at making it easier for Elite users to level up their clans in Modern Warfare 3.
Activision has confused quite a number of Call of Duty fans with its tiered release of DLC for Modern Warfare 3. Two add-on maps are already available for the popular online shooter, but only for Call of Duty Elite subscribers on Xbox 360. Non-Elite players and those playing on PC and PS3 have been left out in the cold.
Well, one more piece of the puzzle has been put together. The Piazza and Liberation maps will be available for Call of Duty Elite subscribers on the PS3 starting February 28th.
Activision promised twenty content drops for Modern Warfare 3 over it's "season of content." One day after the launch of the game's first DLC, the publisher has revealed its year-long DLC release schedule.
While the 20 pieces of content to be released via DLC will largely comprise of maps, additional Spec-Ops missions and game modes are planned for release as well. For example, March's content drop will feature two Spec-Ops missions in addition to an extra map. June's update will introduce a brand new gameplay mode.
Call of Duty DLC is out today. Usually, a new DLC release is accompanied by a frantic flurry of traffic to Xbox Live's servers. Today, it's accompanied by a bit of confusion. Why? Because the DLC is only available to a select few.
First, you must play Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox 360. Then, you must be a Call of Duty Elite premium member. Next, you must download the content from within the game store, not the Xbox Live Marketplace. Finally, you'll be able to access the content through new Elite-only playlists.
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