Premium CoD Elite offering confirmed

It's been rumoured for some time that the next chapter in the CoD (Call of Duty) game series would include a new paid premium service, and it's now finally been confirmed.

The next title in the explosive series, entitled CoD Modern Warfare 3 is launching this November, and according to the Wall Street Journal, Activision will be launching Call of Duty: Elite alongside it.

The new service is being developed by Beachhead studios and will function as a premium offering for the really hardcore CoD players out there. The service is expected to be charged at around $8 (R55) per month.

When signed up players will have access to a larger variety of map packs as well as analytical tools to help you judge your gameplay performance. Players will be able to judge their skills with certain weapons for example, by being able to see which kills were raked in by which weapon.

A Facebook-like social networking experience will also be offered, although details of this are still scant at best. Since CoD games run through Steam on the PC, and the Xbox LIVE and PSN networks on the consoles, it seems like a strange move, as players already have access to friends, in-game chat and so forth.

There will luckily be no charge to enjoy Modern Warfare 3 online though, and the Elite package is a completely optional affair. Infinity Ward creative consultant Robert Bowling tweeted last night, “COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM.”

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, speaking to the Journal, said that he didn't expect a backlash from players over the Elite service fee, as players can still compete freely in multiplayer like they always have. He also said all the new customer-service aspects that Elite includes wouldn't be possible to support if the service was free.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is scheduled for international release on the 8th of November this year on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And given the fact that last year's CoD: Black Ops was 2010's best-selling game, the future is definitely looking perky for MW3.