| Developer(s) | Beachhead Studios |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiplayer online service |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | Official website |
Call of Duty: Elite is a free/subscription-based service created by Beachhead Studios for the multiplayer portion of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Much like Bungie.net and Battle.net, the service features lifetime statistics across multiple games as well as a multitude of social-networking options.[1] It was announced initially by the Wall Street Journal and was showcased at E3 2011 by Activision.[2] The subscription based portion of Elite is priced at $49.99 USD per year for all the free features including exclusive premium features such as monthly downloadable content, daily competitions with virtual and real life prizes, the ability to level up your clan, pro analysis and strategies, Elite TV, and more.[3]
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.[4] Elite also has a mobile app which allows users to access Call of Duty: Elite on their smartphones such as the iPhone and Android.[5] In addition to this Elite also 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.[6] The public beta was released on July 14, 2011 on the Xbox 360 exclusively for Black Ops. Invites for the PS3 version began being sent out on September 19, 2011. To get into the beta, users would sign up at the Call of Duty: Elite website, after which they would be emailed telling them that they had been accepted. The beta ended on October 18, 2011, however, Activision stated that "Players can be confident that all beta activity carries over when Call of Duty: Elite officially launches on November 8th."[7] Call of Duty ELITE Service also has dedicated iOS & Android apps that are in final submission with Apple/Google. It is expected to be released in "first half of Jan 2012" Call of Duty: Elite officially launched on November 8, 2011 to coincide with the release of Modern Warfare 3.[8] 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."[9]
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 1st, 2011. Beachhead Studios has acknowledged that the console app had seen unprecedented demand and had thus caused many of the outages experienced.[10] After various problems on and around release, Activision decided to automatically extend every paying members' subscription by 30 days.[11] Activision also stated that the service will be fully operational to both free and premium users by December 1, 2011.[10]
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