Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - "Hardened Edition" Outed

Either it's only me, but people really seem to want to know anything and everything about Modern Warfare 3 as soon as possible... Y'know what? I think that's pretty much the majority of people. As we know, the next installment of the Modern Warfare series is in development by Infinity Ward (in collaboration with Sledgehammer Games), things have been on the downlow about it, ever since before and after info about it had been leaked. That's with the addition of the teaser trailers being released when Activision decided to announce that the game was in development. Although, just like everything these days, more leaks!

Wired.com reported that an anonymous source has sent them a picture, as seen above that Modern Warfare 3 will be getting a Hardened Edition, much like the previous Call of Duty installments (which also includes the Prestige Editions when the earlier games released). Wired.com also expects this to be unveiled to the masses during the Call of Duty XP 2011 Event in Los Angeles. This 'marketing box,' like most that are used for any other game in many retail stores, details what will be included in this edition of the game, as listed below, courtesy of Wired.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game with unique disc art.
• One year of membership in Call of Duty Elte.
• "Founder status” on Elite with exclusive in-game emblem, player card, camouflage, clan XP boost and other exclusive benefits.
• SteelBook Case
• PlayStation Network exclusive: “Animated Timeline Theme.”
• Xbox 360 exclusive: “Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live Outfit.
• Limited-edition “field journal” with more than 100 pages of “authentic military sketches, diagrams and written entries.”

As much as these things are cool and nifty, I don't think I'll be picking up a Hardened Edition, but who knows, we haven't seen any word about the Prestige Edition, but only time will tell.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is set to release on November 8, 2011 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and Nintendo Wii.

Treyarch Developing New Call of Duty?

For those who aren't in the loop, the past few years have been back and forth with the Call of Duty series. We know that Infinity Ward is working on Modern Warfare 3 but what about Treyarch?

Several new job listings have been spotted on the Treyarch official site and Gamasutra. All the job listings have the following at the end of the listing:

“With a successful track record, extensive infrastructure, and strong management, Treyarch has the solid foundation it needs to pioneer the Call of Duty franchise in the future.“

My guess, November 11th 2012 will be the release date for this new CoD game. But, only time will tell.

Call of Duty Convention Announced, Call of Duty XP 2011

File this one under the "how did it take them this long category," Activision announced today that they would hold the first official convention celebrating the powerhouse shooter franchise Call of Duty. Call of Duty XP 2011 will take place over Labor Day weekend, September 2 and 3, the event will take place at "a secure 12-acre compound in the urban confines of Los Angeles" and will cost you $150 to get in.

The convention will host a smattering of events; a premiere of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer mode, hands on with the multiplayer and Spec Ops survival modes, paintball matches on a recreation of Modern Warfare 2's "Scrapyard" map, a real life version of the Spec Ops time trial "The Pit," an armory showing off all of the weapons in the series, and a full reveal of Call of Duty Elite's functionality.

In addition there will also be more traditional entertainment such as developer discussion panels with Q&A sessions, contests, and tournaments that will be topped off by a 4-player tournament with a one million dollar prize.

In an interesting move, all of the proceeds from $150 two-day passes will go towards the Call of Duty Endowment, Activision's non-profit which helps to ease veterans back into civilian life.

For those not willing to head out to Los Angeles for the convention, Activision promises there will be a "constant stream of high-production value videos." No word yet on if these streams will be free to watch or if a fee will be required.

"From the high production values of our live, immersive events--all the way to the smallest details in every design and activity--we're pulling out all the stops to make Call of Duty XP the ultimate gathering for the global community of Call of Duty fans," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg in the press release. "The celebration will immerse attendees in a Call of Duty experience unlike anything they've ever seen before."

Can a single franchise really sustain an entire convention, if any franchise can it's Call of Duty. Tickets will go on sale for Call of Duty XP 2011 on July 19.

Call of Duty Elite to Have Closed Beta, Registrations Being Taken

Having been put to the public just yesterday, Call of Duty Elite is supposed to mark the beginning of what could be the biggest thing for the Call of Duty franchise. Well, I'm a bit skeptical about this, but hey, if you're interested, then good for you!

Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward just tweeted this (literally was just a few minutes ago).

"http://www.callofduty.com/elite - Apply to beta test the Call of Duty ELITE service. I highly recommend it for anyone with questions!"

The link takes us to what is pictured above. Obviously, from what Robert Bowling tweeted, Call of Duty Elite will have its own closed beta. Registration is taking place at this moment, so act fast. Even though I'm curious about what this means and what this could also bring to the table for Call of Duty in general, I applied. If you're a lot like me right now, I'd say to give it a shot!

Next Call of Duty to Come With a Brand New Feature, Subscription Fees

Well, its finally happened. Starting with Modern Warfare 3 every Call of Duty game going forward will have a subscription fee attached to the games online component. The Wall Street Journal is the first to report about Call of Duty Elite, the long rumored "digital platform" being developed by Activision's Beachhead studio. Elite (as stated) will be a paid service, although "portions of the service will be free" such as a Facebook esq groups feature.

The service will include other features like analyzing players performance "gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies." Don't worry though, you wont have to pay to play online, the WSJ is reporting that "players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service."

There is no current price set for the service, though it's expected to be less than other comparable online subscription services such as Netflix ($7.99/month). A portion of the cost will be used for a "customer-service operation" which will be needed for support. All the years map packs will also be included, they usually run for $15 apiece so this helps justify the annual cost.

We'll update this story as more info is released.