SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- With the launch of Call of Duty®: Black Ops
II less than 40 days away, Activision Publishing, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq:
ATVI), announced today that all of its Call of Duty®
Elite service features for Call of Duty®: Black Ops
II will be free when the blockbuster game hits worldwide on
November 13. With Call of Duty Elite free for
Call of Duty: Black Ops II, both new and veteran
Call of Duty Elite members alike will be able to
enjoy the full range of Call of Duty Elite's robust
service and features integrated into the highly-anticipated new
game in development by award-winning studio Treyarch.
"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 Call of Duty®:
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 II."
Supporting Call of Duty: Black Ops II, 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 II Season Pass. Coming to the Xbox LIVE®
online entertainment network first, the four Call of Duty:
Black Ops II 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 II 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 II DLC
Map Packs will be made available at a later date.
Hirshberg continued, "For Call of Duty: Black Ops
II, 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 II and we're thrilled to offer all
ofElite'sCall of Duty: Black Ops II
features to players for free."
Today's news of Call of Duty Elite's free
integration with Call of Duty: Black Ops II follows
the recent reveal of several new multiplayer features that are in
the works by Treyarch, including an all-new "Pick 10
Create-a-Class" system, an added emphasis on eSports featuring
CODcasting, and an all-new Score Streaks system. GameStop
president Tony Bartel says,
"Consumer anticipation for Call of Duty: Black Ops II
is tremendous. We are seeing the highest pre-orders in
history. With its current pace, this Call of Duty is
on track to break records and is likely to be our biggest game
launch of all time."
As a free service for Call of Duty: Black Ops II,
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
II 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
II 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 II,
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.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II launches worldwide on
November 13, 2012, on the Xbox 360
video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3
computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. The title is
also expected to be released in North
America on November 18, 2012, for the new Wii U™ game system
from Nintendo. Call of Duty: Black Ops II is
rated "M" (Mature – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence Strong
Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs – content suitable for
persons ages 18 and older) by the ESRB. More information on
Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be found at
http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2 or on
www.facebook.com/codblackops. Fans can also follow @Treyarch
on Twitter.
Existing Call of Duty Elite premium members will
continue to enjoy the Call of Duty Elite Premium
membership features for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
3 through the end of their current subscription period.
More information on Call of Duty Elite can be
found at http://www.callofduty.com/elite or @Callofduty on
Twitter. Call of Duty Elite is developed by
Beachhead Studio.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading
worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United
Kingdom, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Australia,
South Korea, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and
its products can be found on the company's website,
www.activision.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Activision
Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future, including statements about the expected
release date of Call of Duty: Black Ops II, are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause
Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially
from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in
this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors
identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's
most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this
release are based upon information available to Activision
Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release,
and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes
any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may
ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not
guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or
Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause
actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE, CALL OF DUTY MW3 and
CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS are trademarks of Activision Publishing,
Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties
of their respective owners.
Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. Wii U is a trademark of Nintendo.
*This is a purchase of Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360 video
game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Consumer may redeem
the Points to download the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Season Pass
or individual map packs via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 or
for other content available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.