Activision Blizzard has managed to pump up Call of Duty to a Goliath-like status in online gaming for the past several years, so it was only a matter of time until the publisher thought of a way to sap more money from dedicated players. Its answer is Call of Duty Elite, a service that offers stat-tracking, group management and social features for $50 a year. The fee also covers downloadable map packs that non-members will have to buy individually.

The Activision Publishing CEO sells the service to Gamasutra as a way for gamers to save money on Call of Duty games’ pricey downloadable maps, reasoning that four map packs at $15 each would cost $60 a year. So far, the cheapest way for hardcore gamers to pick up an Elite subscription seems to be to buy the $100 Modern Warfare 3 “Hardened” edition, which comes with a membership and costs $40 more than the regular, presumably “Softened” version of the game.

Another option is to wait for membership codes from the Hardened edition to go up on eBay.

Call of Duty Elite Service Priced At $49.99 Per Year [Gamasutra]

Previously: Next Call Of Duty Will Ask Gamers To Pay Monthly Fee

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