When Activision announced the Call of Duty Elite service for their annual blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the idea was met with mixed criticism.
While some enjoyed the idea of exclusive content, early and cheaper DLC, daily competitions, and much more, others just saw it as a way for Activision to make more money from their already successful product. Despite the service being free for all Modern Warfare 3 players, users have to pay a membership fee to unlock all of the really cool features including DLC (which is actually cheaper than the standalone packs).
Regardless of where you stand on the issue of the this optional online service, it's hard to deny the success it has had since it launched.
In fact, as of January 31, 2012, more than seven million gamers have registered for Call of Duty Elite, including more than 1.5 million premium annual memberships sold for the online service, according to Activision Blizzard's Fourth Quarter and Calendar Year 2011 Earnings Report. This makes Call of Duty Elite one of the fastest growing premium online services ever created.
You can bet, with numbers like that, Call of Duty Elite will be around for quite a while. And don't think other companies haven't taken notice of the service's success. EA has already commented on Elite and toyed with the idea of making some sort of service of their own.
