Attention – Call of Duty: Elite Beta Testing Begins

Back in May, we at GodisaGeek attended an exclusive hands-on session with Call of Duty: Elite – the new online service for the for the Call of Duty Community. Well now, you can have the chance to go hands-on with this new system as well, with the Call of Duty: Elite beta starting today. The beta will start a staged launch across Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE, whereby phases of invitations will go out to gamers over the next few weeks. Built from the ground up especially for the Call of Duty online community, the service is prepared to cater for the 30 million who currently play the games.

Call of Duty Elite will launch fully as part of the release for the latest FPS behemoth from Activision – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – which will hit retail on 8th November. So far, Activision have taken registrations from around 2.8 million gamers who wish to sample Elite before the official launch date, and will rely on the feedback and participation of these fans in order to improve and test the service. The beta won’t include all of the features that are scheduled to be included in the final version, but it will test areas such as stat tracking, customisable player groups, video sharing and competitive events.

There will be a free Elite service and a Premium one, with Premium members promised a whole host of exclusive DLC for Modern Warfare 3, such as brand new maps to play on and exclusive themes. There will also be a selection of entertainment programmes, which are being produced in cooperation with some major Hollywood talent, which will be available exclusively toall Call of Duty: Elite users – whether paid up or free members.

Chacko Sonny, the Studio Head of Beachhead Studio claims that; “Call of Duty Elite is all about connecting our amazing fans around the globe in ways never before possible and we are excited to get their feedback so they can help us further develop, tune and test the service, as we head into our launch in November with Modern Warfare 3… A public beta with the massive Call of Duty community is the best way to generate the scale we need for end-to-end testing. While Call of Duty Elite will continue to evolve post-launch, we want to deliver the most polished, complete and rigorously tested service possible on day one. We’re looking to get as many participants in the beta as possible, so we ask that fans stay patient as we ramp up in the coming weeks.”

Some of the new ways in which Call of Duty: Elite will effect how you play Modern Warfare 3 will be:

Connect: Call of Duty Elite gives players unprecedented control over their multiplayer experience. This is a true social gaming platform. Players can compete against friends, gamers of similar skill levels or interests, join groups and clans, and play in organized competitions. They can also track the performance, progress and activity of their personal network, both in the game itself as well as via custom mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android smart phones, tablets and on the web.

Compete: Call of Duty Elite hosts events and competitions for players of all skill levels on a regular basis; both in-game and real-world prizes will be awarded across the Call of Duty Elite player roster when the service goes live on 8th November.

Improve: Call of Duty Elite is ground zero for anyone who wants to improve their in-game skills. It dynamically tracks player statistics and performance down to the finest detail. It can show gamers how they compare to their friends or other players community-wide. The user-friendly tools and data will give gamers the insights they need to up their kill/death ratio in no time.

When it launches, Call of Duty Elite will offer fans an unrivalled experience by providing “always-on,” universal communication between the service and the game. Players will be able to access the service anywhere, anytime via mobile, tablet, web or inside the console game itself. As they do, they will see how Call of Duty Elite brings their Call of Duty experience to life like never before. Schedule a match with friends on the fly, change a weapon load-out or research a new gameplay strategy from your desk at work, the train ride home, or anywhere else, and have it ready and waiting for you in-game when you get home and play.

Plus, when the new service rolls-out with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, players will be able to enjoy a level of unprecedented clan support. With a focus on competition, imagine players finally being able to create their own personal experience just like a fantasy football or baseball league in Call of Duty that includes anyone and everyone from close friends to new contacts, who simply share similar gaming abilities.

Players who wish to register in the hopes of joining the beta testing should head over to: www.callofduty.com/elite.  And for more information about the testing, updates to the schedule and details on when the beta is going to come to PlayStation 3, gamers should keep tabs on www.facebook.com/callofdutyelite, and also via Twitter @CallofDutyElite.

Call of Duty: Elite is expected to launch with Modern Warfare 3 on November 8, 2011.