Call of Duty: Elite Goes Free for Black Ops 2, New Features & Season Pass Detailed

Yesterday, we learning about Activision’s plans for Black Ops 2′s DLC to be delivered via map packs and the Season Pass, and the fact that the “content drops” are being ditched. Today, publisher Activision and developer Treyarch released a video and press release detailing exactly what’s happening with Call of Duty: Elite and the DLC for Black Ops 2. The top and bottom of it is that all of Elite’s features will be free to everyone. You’ll no longer need to buy a subscription to the service. Read on for full details.

“We’ve learned a lot in our first year of Call of Duty: Elite, and we’re very proud that we over delivered on our commitment of playable content to our premium members,” said Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg.  ”What we have realized is that several of the Call of Duty Elite services which are currently only available to our premium members for Modern Warfare 3 are things that would further unite, engage and delight our player community.  So we are going to make them free for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Supporting Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Activision will be selling four epic new Downloadable Content (DLC) Map Packs both a la carte and through the introduction of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Season Pass. Coming to the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network first, the four Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC Map Packs will deliver a variety of new Multiplayer and Zombies playable content and are expected to be available in 2013.  The Season Pass will deliver all four Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC Map Packs at a discounted suggested retail price of 4000 Microsoft Points* ($49.99 on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 (discount based on four DLC Map Packs at a suggested retail price of 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) each).  Season Pass pre-orders are now available at select retail outlets, including GameStop.  Season Pass and DLC Map Packs may not be available on all gaming platforms.  Pricing and release dates may vary by platform.  All Call of Duty Elite features and availability are subject to change.  Further details regarding the 2013 calendar of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC Map Packs will be made available at a later date.

Hirshberg continued, “For Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, DLC Map Packs will be a separate offering from Call of Duty Elite.  The Season Pass will be a great way to acquire all four Map Packs at a discount, but if our fans would rather take it one Map Pack at a time, then we’ll offer each pack a la carte for anyone who wants it.  What we aren’t doing is requiring a paid membership to access the great player services for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and we’re thrilled to offer all of Elite’sCall of Duty: Black Ops 2 features to players for free.”

As a free service for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the Call of Duty Elite platform will continue to evolve as the definitive Call of Duty headquarters, with the inclusion of new and enhanced features such as:

• Player HQ — Track Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 performance with rich game statistics, including enhanced match information such as heat maps and recent match data; track challenges and extensively modify your classes like never before using Treyarch’s new Pick 10 Create-a-Class system.
• Clan HQ — Join an existing clan or start your own, invite friends and then take part in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 clan competitions with cool digital prizing.
• Zombies Support — For the millions of Zombies fans out there, now you can track your Zombies personal statistics and compare it to other players’ around the world.
• Call of Duty Elite TV — Launching with tablet support with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the new Call of Duty Elite TV will deliver a renewed community focus featuring developer tips and strategy programming, custom class overviews and more.
• Social Sharing and Notifications — With Call of Duty Elite’s new notification system, you can stay updated with what is going on in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, as well as communicate directly with your clan.