MW3 Elite Will Not Be Free

A premium membership to Call of Duty: Elite will include full access to all DLC released for Modern Warfare 3 as part of the package, Activision has announced. "I'm very happy to tell you that an Elite membership will be an all-inclusive membership," said Jamie Berger, Activision's VP of Digital speaking about the online Call of Duty: Elite service at a press conference last week. "That means that it's going to provide full access to all Modern Warfare 3 DLC as part of the membership." As well as access to Modern Warfare 3's DLC, a premium membership will also include access to Elite's "full suite of services year-round and beyond Modern Warfare 3", including access to online leagues and an in-depth online help section that hopes to teach players tactics and let players improve their skills. "There's been a lot of speculation on this point and it's worth repeating," continued Berger. "Call of Duty does not and will not charge for multiplayer, and that is our continued commitment to our players." And if you want to continue buying map packs without signing up to a premium service, you'll still be able to do so. "Additionally if you're the type of guy who just likes buying map packs on their own, that's not a problem," Berger added. "We're going to continue to offer map packs for Modern Warfare 3 a la carte as a continued option for our players." Activision is yet to reveal details of Call of Duty: Elite's premium membership pricing, but has said that the service will "be less than any comparable online gaming or entertainment service out there right now." As well as a premium service, a free Elite service will also be available, although access will be restricted to online stat-tracking and social networking options. Call of Duty: Elite launches with Modern Warfare 3 later in the year. A public beta is due this summer.

Pretty interesting...