Before we get to some FAQs regarding Call of Duty Elite, we want to share three guiding principles of the service.
GIVING YOU MORE THAN EVER BEFORE (AND TAKING NOTHING AWAY) – With over 30 million online players around the world, the Call of Duty community is too large and diverse to create a one size fits all approach, and Call of Duty Elite must be purely additive to the experience. The Call of Duty ?out of the box? experience that our players expect: a great single player campaign, co-op missions, and the deepest and most accessible multiplayer anywhere — at no additional cost — remains the same as ever. Our promise to you is this: Elite only adds to the Call of Duty experience. Nothing will be taken away from the experience you know and love. If you want to continue to play Call of Duty as you always have, you will still be able to do just that, including the ability to buy Map Packs ala carte. With Call of Duty Elite, we?re adding a new choice for those who want to get even more out of the game. Even haters can play for free.
THE BEST FREE SERVICE ON THE MARKET ? How can we say that this is the best? We believe that the free elements of Call of Duty Elite will be superior to any free service currently on the market because we are offering more features than any other service out there. Additionally, many of Elite?s free features which will debut with Modern Warfare 3 are industry firsts and offer a new level of innovation.

A selection of Elite?s free features will let you:

• Access Elite through the web as well as Elite?s free custom iOS and Android applications for smartphones and tablets
• Communicate any way you want across mobile, console and the web with your friends
• Track and share thousands of stats with friends ? k/d ratios, score-per-minute, win % and loads more, all represented in easy to understand charts and infographics
• Create your own custom leaderboards to track friendly rivalries ? who is moving up and down in your group of friends?
• Analyze advanced heat maps detailing your match-by-match performance ? where you killed or got killed, when it happened, and more
• Analyze your weapons performance ? which weapons you are best with in which situations
• Upload and share videos of your greatest moments through our exclusive theater mode with the touch of a button
• After you analyze your performance to your heart?s content – Customize your loadout ? search through all the weapons, attachments and perks, and push them directly into the game menu from the web or your mobile device with the touch of a button
• Join dozens of groups and find other players with common interests to play with and compete against ? find people who make the game the most fun for you ? TDM, Lakers? fans, Weekend Warriors
• Create a Clan with players who share your interests and taste for competition
• Bring your Facebook friends right into the game, easily taking your existing network into the Call of Duty experience.
• Seamlessly be placed into Groups with those who share your affinities and interests based on your Facebook profile.
• Start tracking your Call of Duty career ? everything you wanted to know about your performance across the franchise starting with Black Ops

And that?s just the beginning. The service will continue to evolve and we will continue to add new features.
A PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP THAT RESETS THE BAR – The premium membership of Call of Duty Elite (which is completely optional) will set a new gold standard for what the multiplayer and community experience for a console game can be. Why are we not revealing all of the features that are part of the premium service today? Simple. Because the service was designed to be deeply integrated with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and will not be demonstrable until we are closer to the launch of the game. We know seeing is believing, and over the next few months we will be revealing and demonstrating more of the premium features and by the end of the summer, we will reveal the entire service in full.
The reason we announced the service today was so we could begin recruiting for a free beta with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which will allow us to test the service at scale. This is a critical step to us launching the service successfully this fall. So we appreciate your patience.

Is Elite a new website?

• We?re on the web of course, but we?re designing Call of Duty Elite to be widely accessible and customized for a number of platforms — via web browsers, through the game, and through mobile applications as well ? including iPhone and iPad, as well as Android tablets and smartphones.

Will you be charging for multiplayer?

• No, we are offering players more choice and are not taking anything away from our fans. If you like playing the way you always have, with a great campaign, co-op and multiplayer experience out of the box, then you can. Additionally, many of Elite?s key features that we?ve listed will be free to all Call of Duty players.

What about stats? Do I get free access to my stats with Elite?

• Absolutely. Elite?s Career section gives players an in-depth look at statistical details of their own performance and gameplay as well as that of the entire Call of Duty community, including heat maps, load-outs, stat trends, custom leaderboards, and integration of your Facebook friends. The Career section is free to all registered users.

How will Elite compare to free offerings that currently exist?

• We believe that the free elements of Elite alone will be better than any free service currently on the market today. Elite ups the ante of any free service by offering a range of innovations on well-established multiplayer features, such as leaderboards, heat maps, and rich player data. Additionally, other Elite features are completely new to the industry. For example, with Elite?s new Groups featured integrated with Modern Warfare 3, you will be able to join custom groups based on your likes, interests, or affiliations, and then have those groups follow you directly into the game. Soon you?ll be playing in a social group, making new friends (and rivals!) who play Call of Duty and share your interests, home town, or play style.

Is there a beta? When can I try Elite for myself?

• Elite will officially launch this fall with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but you can try key features earlier with our free public beta test. In order to deliver the best possible launch this fall, we need to test the service at scale and get your feedback on key features. The Beachhead team is working with Treyarch to hold a public beta this summer for Elite with the multiplayer community of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The earlier you sign up, the earlier you can play. All you need to do to sign up is register your email address and gamer tag. Sign up now at www.callofduty.com/elite.