Modern Warfare 3 DLC schedule

Extracted 01MAR2012 from http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/25/modern-warfare-3-dlc-schedule-revealed-12-m...

Activision has outlined its downloadable content (DLC) schedule for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 during 2012. There are 20 pieces of DLC due in total, which will be made available to Elite Premium subscribers over a nine month ‘content season’.

The DLC is key to Activision Blizzard’s ability to charge a monthly fee for its new Call of Duty Elite service. Premium members who pay $4.99 a month can get the “content drops” for free. Getting players engaged in year-round playing, rather than just buying a game once a year, is key to shifting the games to a service-based business model.

In addition to the Liberation and Piazza maps, released on Xbox 360 this week, there will be ten further multiplayer maps added to the game during the year. Activision has also revealed that there will be two new game modes appearing, one in June and one in August, along with a total of six new Special Ops missions.

This content will be released in 20 ‘drops’ for subscribers to the paid Elite Premium service, which costs $50 a year. Non-Elite customers will also be able to purchase the maps, which are being developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Raven Software, at a later date...

While many PS3 and PC players are also signed up to the Elite service, there has been no official word on when they will receive their DLC. Microsoft and Activision signed an agreement in 2010, which gave all Call of Duty DLC timed exclusivity on the Xbox 360 platform, and this agreement is still in place.