5 Modern Warfare 3 DLC drops planned for next 3 months, 20 over next 9

[MightyJordan]

On January 24, this year's Call of Duty DLC season kicks off on Xbox Live with other platforms to follow. Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 will have first access the new content as part of their paid membership.

Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling confirmed with Joystiq the content schedule for Modern Warfare 3 and it's unsurprisingly extensive. Following the first multiplayer maps later this month ("Park" and "Coast"), the plan is to offer five total DLC packages over the course of the next three months. Within the next nine months, up to September, there should be a total of 20 pieces of downloadable content available to players. A "Content Collection" in March will bundle the previously released DLC on Xbox Live for non-Elite users.

"The first pack is traditional multiplayer maps, but we want to do Spec Ops missions, missions, Spec-Ops Survival, new game types, new game modes, and really look at adding things that we've never done before," Bowling said. He said that the focus across all three studios involved -- Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software -- has been to experiment with the formula this time around, to offer players content other than map pack dumps.

"We said just do what you think is gonna be good. Do what's fun and, as long is fits in the Modern Warfare universe, try it! Experiment with it, and we'll take the best of the best and start polishing it up and releasing it. So that's really where our focus has been," Bowling concluded.

[Ayepecks]

Ridiculous. The insane amount and cost of Black Ops DLC got me to stop playing that game -- especially when most of the maps were garbage and wouldn't even be worth 400 MS points. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Activision's handling of Call of Duty will kill it. It may not be fast, but it will go the way of Guitar Hero.

[MightyJordan]

Ridiculous. The insane amount and cost of Black Ops DLC got me to stop playing that game -- especially when most of the maps were garbage and wouldn't even be worth 400 MS points. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Activision's handling of Call of Duty will kill it. It may not be fast, but it will go the way of Guitar Hero.

Good thing you mentioned Guitar Hero...

[Hedon]

Awesome news. I am so looking forward to this. I bought all of the Black Ops DLC, and now that I am a premium Elite member, I am looking forward to this. I hope they do something similar for Black Ops 2 as well.

[BGM]

cool, could do with some more maps :p

[sbauer]

Well, the good news is that the DLC maps can't be much worse than the maps MW3 came with.

[Hedon]

Odd, MW3 has some of my all time favorite maps in it. Though not enough long range maps for snipers.

[sbauer]

Odd, MW3 has some of my all time favorite maps in it. Though not enough long range maps for snipers.

There are some OK maps. Unlike the other games, though, I can't stay that there are any maps that I get excited about.

Dome? Awful

Downturn? Bad

Carbon? No thanks

Village? Never has a village/jungle felt so cramped.

Fallen? Not a fan.

I just don't understand the obsession with putting so much random crap on the maps.

[Hedon]

Love Dome, Love Village, Love Fallen, Hate Carbon, Love Arkaden, Hate Interchange, Love Outpost, Love Hardhat, Love Bakaraa.

[The_Fox]

I have the elite account so that ?20 was well spent at the time

[nominak]

9 months worth of DLC for 60 bucks a year.

Hmmmmmmm... something seems off... lol.. Monthly DLC, til the next Call of Duty release... then that'll have monthly DLC til the next one... and so on and so forth.. 60 for new game, 60 for Elite Premium...

You're now paying double the price, for ONE game.

[Hedon]

9 months worth of DLC for 60 bucks a year.

Hmmmmmmm... something seems off... lol.. Monthly DLC, til the next Call of Duty release... then that'll have monthly DLC til the next one... and so on and so forth.. 60 for new game, 60 for Elite Premium...

You're now paying double the price, for ONE game.

Not sure what country you are from. However, in the US, Elite is $49.99, unless you buy the Hardened Edition, which includes Elite...for less at $39.99.

[ARchamps]

But I thought MW3 was already a DLC? :shifty:

Seriously though, good that they are also adding spec-op and survival modes. It's too bad BF3 already kidnapped me away from the COD this year :rofl:

[nominak]

Not sure what country you are from. However, in the US, Elite is $49.99, unless you buy the Hardened Edition, which includes Elite...for less at $39.99.

Yeah well, close enough. Still $110 for a single game.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Good Lord, FIVE dlc map packs?

The decline, ladies and gentleman, is inevitable, from here on

[Hedon]

Yeah well, close enough. Still $110 for a single game.

Well, they could choose NOT to have DLC, and you would still have a game that is $60, that has more maps in it than previous Call of Duty's. Of course they are going to charge for the work they do. I am sure you expect to be paid for the work you do everyday.

[LingeringSoul]

"The first pack is traditional multiplayer maps, but we want to do Spec Ops missions, missions, Spec-Ops Survival, new game types, new game modes, and really look at adding things that we've never done before," Bowling said. He said that the focus across all three studios involved -- Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software -- has been to experiment with the formula this time around, to offer players content other than map pack dumps.

New Spec Ops and Spec Ops Survival missions actually sounds pretty cool. My buddy and I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of the Spec Ops missions in MW2 and 3, and if they offered up more of those via DLC, I would be awfully tempted to pick them up (granted they're reasonably priced).

That being said, there's no denying the fact that they're really pushing the Elite subscription hard. It's not strictly required, it's just really heavily encouraged if you plan on sticking with MW3 over the long term. Kotick talked at great lengths a few years ago about his desire to monetize Call of Duty in the form of a subscription service, so it's hard to think of this as anything other than Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer being forced to do his bidding.

[Miuku.]

Of course they are going to charge for the work they do. I am sure you expect to be paid for the work you do everyday.

And you would get equal or even higher quality maps from 3rd party mapmakers that wouldn't charge anything if it wasn't a completely closed down system.

But please, by all means, shove more money at Activision - I'm sure they won't mind.

[Hedon]

Yup, I have ZERO problem paying for content created for me, and ZERO problem having businesses pay their employees to make content. I also have ZERO problem since, of course, it's ENTIRELY optional.

In a surprise turn of events, I pay my employees at my work, and customers pay us for the work we do for them. Odd, I know, but it works.

[Motoko.]

Imagine a world without DLC..

[Muhammad Farrukh]

A much better one

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

Why are people always comparing games >.>

Just give them some more time the next version will have a new engine I think :p

[protocol7]

Imagine a world without DLC..

No need to imagine. I used to live in it.

It was nice.

[LingeringSoul]

Imagine a world without DLC..

You would also have a world without all of the good DLC that has been released throughout this console generation (WipEout HD: Fury, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Fallout 3: Broken Steel to name a few). I understand the frustrations that a lot of people have regarding DLC, but the opposite end of the spectrum is hardly the utopia that you are imagining it to be.

[Motoko.]

You would also have a world without all of the good DLC that has been released throughout this console generation (WipEout HD: Fury, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Fallout 3: Broken Steel to name a few). I understand the frustrations that a lot of people have regarding DLC, but the opposite end of the spectrum is hardly the utopia that you are imagining it to be.

It should be free or reincorporated for a sequal imo