More details are being revealed about Call of Duty Elite, the newly announced social networking service for fans of Activision"s first person shooter series. The service was officially announced on Tuesday after months of rumors and will feature both free and subscription based services. One of the features of the paid version, according to the Guardian, is a video web series based on the Call of Duty franchise.
Eric Hirshberg, the head of Activision Publishing, told the web site, "We have engaged some top Hollywood talent to create linear video content that will be exclusive to Elite members. That content is inspired by Call of Duty." It"s not yet clear if the web series will be a live action production or an animated series. When asked for specifics, Hirshberg said that more info will be revealed later in 2011. However he did say that offering content to Call of Duty Elite subscribers such as a web video series was needed to keep players interested in the brand. He said, "If you"re a sports fan, there are lots of ways for you to connect with that hobby, that passion, not just on the day that the games are played, but throughout the week, and we wanted to give [Call of Duty players] real entertainment value."
In related news, a game analyst has already predicted how many subscribers will sign up for Call of Duty Elite when it goes live later in 2011. Industry Gamers quotes EEDAR"s Jesse Divnich as saying that he expects that 1.5 million subscribers will sign on by the end of 2011 and between 2 million and 4 million subscribers will subscribe to the service in its first 12 months. EEDAR assumes that Activision will offer the service for $4.99 a month (Activision has yet to officially reveal the subscription rates).