CoD MW3 Elite On PC “Will Be Ready When It’s Ready”

When Activision announced their paid subscription plan for Call of Duty Elite, many were angered.  Over time, it seems that anger has turned into curiousity and now people want to know how Call of Duty Elite will work with the PC version of Modern Warfare3, with dedicated servers casuing a bit of concern since there's no central server hub to maintain data security.  As it turns out, it's a pretty big concern for the folks over at Activision and Beachhead Studios.

Beachhead Studio head Chaco Sonny admitted in an interview that they are "as commited as ever to the PC, but the need to ensure a safe PC environment is greater than ever.  It's really extensive." With that being said, he confirmed that they "need more time to get there, so Elite on PC will not launch on Day 1."  Chacko emphasized that they are "working their butts off to make it happen," but that it won't release until they know that PC gamers can enjoy Elite as it's mean to be.

The problem with running Elite on PC is that PC is an insecure platform.  "Without a central, trusted resources for stats, a lot of our competition features become unfair," explained Chacko.  "We can't give away prizes when people can easily cheat their stats.  Leaderboards are less funw hen a lot of users are there unfairly."

Now since there is no PC version of Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition available for preorder, Beachhead had to re-imagine Elite for PC.  Product Director Noah Heller restated, "not being able to trust stats is a big problem for our design.  Elite for PC will be about access to your own stats, or those of your friends.  Basically establishing a circle of trust.  And because it will have some reduced functionality, it will be free for everyone."

Now this could post a problem for Modern Warfare 3 fans planning to download DLC.  DLC is  discounted through an Elite membership, but with no paid PC element to Elite, PC gamers won't have the option to do that.  Noah confirmed, "PC guys will be able to purchase their DLC content a la carte, just like it has worked before."

Unfortunately, no timetable for the official release of Elite on PC was revealed.  "We're working onit, but it is not going to come out until we've done a lot more work.  At this point I need to say, 'It will be ready when it is ready.'" Chacko furthered, "I'm a PC gamer myself and I don't want to ship something to this community that doesn't have the polish that they deserve."

While I'm sure we're all a bit upset to hear this news, it's comforting to know that they are working hard to ensure a stable, cheater free Elite for the PC.  I'd rather them take their time and work out the kinks than release something buggy and unpolished.