While many people claimed that $15 was too much for a map pack, the DLC was purchased by the millions. Activision knows how to profit from the secondary and even tertiary content that gamers are keen to access, and the just-announced Call of Duty Elite is the newest weapon in the war for higher stock value. The concept is interesting: Elite is an interactive strategy guide that's constantly updated with your stats and playing habits, along with a full suite of social networking functions.

Activision has been adamant that the company will never charge for multiplayer play, but it has found a way to charge for multiplayer data.

Here's how it works

I was able to demo the Elite service at a preview event in Los Angeles, and the system is impressive in action. We played a few rounds of Black Ops with premade accounts, and when we were done we were able to explore the data Elite had collected. It showed where I moved, where I killed people, and where I died. I could pull up a detailed look at each of the maps in the game and get pointers about where to go and what to do. Just in case I needed help with my loadout, Elite was there with videos that explained the best uses for each gun, along with a list of all the upgrades I could buy for it.

It's an impressive amount of data about the game, laid out in attractive menus. Imagine a great interactive strategy guide, and you're close to how it looks and feels. The Call of Duty games are known for their ultra-competitive communities, and this is a solid way to give new players more information on how to fight better. With a little bit of research and planning, you'll be able to tackle the maps with weapons that make sense, and then be able to pore over your matches and learn where you die so you can avoid those areas, and move towards where you tend to get the most kills. The system provides you with a wealth of data about your personal performance, and all of it can be used to tighten your game.

The social aspect of the game is also important, and Elite will offer support for clans, leagues, and contests to upload the best videos and screenshots. You'll be able to search for uploaded images and videos where your player was tagged. You can take a look at information about other players and play with people who have similar interests, as well as compete with actual, real-world prizes. With 20 million players playing Call of Duty online every month, and around 7 million a day, the ability to easily find players who match your skill level and time commitment is certainly intriguing.

But what are you paying for?

There will be an open beta so players can check out Elite with Black Ops, but the system is being built from the ground up for Modern Warfare 3. I spoke with Jamie Berger, the VP of Digital with Activision, and he was unwilling to comment on a specific price or what features would be free and which would come with the premium service, but he did stress that the subscription would be "all-inclusive." When a map pack is released, you won't have to pay for it again, you'll get full access to the content with your Elite subscription. All the Modern Warfare 3 content that's released post-launch will be included with the cost of subscription.

I was also told that the cost will be less than other, comparable subscription services, but I'm not sure what other services are comparable to something like this.

This is an incredibly smart play from Activision. The user interface is clean and easy to use, the information about the game is useful for players, and this is all data Activision had anyway; in many ways this is just a glorified graphical representation of the server logs. But that information is valuable, and by presenting it in this way, serious players will be able to fine-tune their game to a frightening extent. New players will be able to hone their game much more effectively. And the publishers of standard, printed strategy guides won't be able to compete very well.

The possibility of better, and more fitting, social interactions and league play with actual prizes is also exciting. The Modern Warfare games are a way of life for millions of players, and if the price for this service is right, and it indeed includes all the extra content released post-launch, Activision is sitting on a license to print money. Elite is not for everyone, but for those who are interested in this level of play, any price is likely to seem like a bargain.