14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher Activision believes that companion services like Call of Duty: Elite will become a necessity for all mainstream releases in the coming years, because player communities will request them from developers.
Jamie Berger, who is the vice president in charge of digital content at Activision Blizzard, has told MCV during an interview that, “We believe that a 24/7, year-round services strategy that broadens the game experience beyond just playing is going to be a necessity. Right now, it’s an option, but in three to five years, it won’t be. To support a diverse player base, you will have to have a services and ongoing content strategy. I don’t see how games are going to manage without that.”
He added, “Elite is about Call of Duty being bigger than ever five years from now and laying the groundwork for that.”
It's not clear how Activision and the various studios that are working on Call of Duty will integrate Elite into the franchise and what will happen with those fans who are not interested in using it.
Elite is set to allow gamers who love the first person shooter series to get access to better stat tracking, more in game options when it comes to multiplayer and create their own gaming social groups.
Those who are willing to pay for Elite will also get access to the downloadable content that will be launched for Modern Warfare 3 before the rest of the player base.
The big Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 rival, Battlefield 3 from DICE and Electronic Arts, is set to get a similar service called Battlelog, which is build on the foundation of the Criterion made Autolog, which will be free for all players.
Elite and Modern Warfare 3 will be launched on all major gaming devices on November 8.