Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is finally backwards compatible on Xbox One.

While EA continues to fight Star Wars: Battlefront 2 fires ahead of launch this Friday, there are others who sniff an opportunity. In this case it's rival mega-publisher Activision Blizzard, whose StarCraft 2 Twitter account had a pop at Battlefront 2 overnight.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games was at one point working on a Vietnam-set entry in the series.

Call of Duty games are about to get even more lavish as its upcoming titles will get 50 per cent more time in development. That's right, the franchise is migrating to a three-year dev cycle with series stalwarts Infinity Ward and Treyarch being joined by Sledgehammer Games as the trio of devs who will take turns releasing CoD games.

Activision wants you to know that 100 million people have played Call of Duty since the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007 - the game that fired the series into the stratosphere.

Remember that hand-sized PC called Piston made by Xi3 that was thought to be Valve's Steam Box?

A propaganda film released by North Korean authorities has been pulled from YouTube after the discovery that it featured footage from first-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Black Ops 2 is probably the highest earning Call of Duty game in the space of 24 hours, Activision has announced. But actual sales figures weren't revealed.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 isn't even a week old, but that hasn't stopped word of the next game in the all-conquering first-person shooter series hitting the internet.

Update: Infinity Ward has denied meeting with Murray about Modern Warfare 4. "Interesting news today, but it's not true," said the developer on twitter. "We've not talked with any voice actors, so all news is speculation."

One month before Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 comes out on 13th November, Activision is bearing adieu to Modern Warfare 3 with its final DLC pack hitting the straggling PS3 and PC versions on 10th October, developer Infinity War has tweeted.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has failed to appear on the EU PlayStation Store once again, marking four weeks since it was supposed to launch. Xbox 360 and PC players have been able to play the game since August 21st.

Modern Warfare 3's third collection of DLC, the Chaos Pack, is slated to launch for PS3 and PC on 13th September, Infinity Ward has announced via twitter.

Call of Duty publisher Activision will next month airdrop the final care-package of Modern Warfare 3 content.

Collection 4: Final Assault will arrive for Xbox 360 on 6th September and contain a number of new maps: Decommission, Off-Shore, Gulch, Boardwalk and Parish.

Decommission and Off Shore are already available for Call of Duty Elite subscribers, while details and gameplay footage of the latter three were leaked online earlier this week.

Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will receive three new maps in September's monthly content drop.

Activision has been slapped over a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 TV ad that was deemed to have been shown at an inappropriate time of day.

Crysis 2 Maximum Edition and NASCAR 2011 have all arrived on the PlayStation Store courtesy of today's update.

Call of Duty Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will be able to satisfy their digital bloodlust with an array of new Modern Warfare 3 content throughout July.

Father Sam Ghera complained to Microsoft after his 12-year-old son Nik spent £1150 on Microsoft Points over a six month period.

Modern Warfare 2 map Terminal launches for Modern Warfare 3 as free DLC, Infinity Ward has announced.

Read more

Fresh expansions for Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 await in this week's EU PlayStation Store update.

A new DLC drop for Modern Warfare 3 lands tomorrow on Xbox 360 for Premium Elite subscribers, developer Infinity Ward has announced.

EA has likened the difference between digital platforms Origin and Steam to the difference between Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty.

As bona fide stop-the-press moments go, the events of 1st March 2010 stack up impressively. With Modern Warfare 2 smashing sales records across the globe and cementing the Call of Duty brand's claim to 'biggest gaming franchise ever' status, Activision announced out of the blue that its creators, Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, had been relieved of their posts with immediate effect.

A 20-year-old man has been jailed for 18 months after making thousands of pounds by distributing a Call of Duty hack that was really a virus.

Delta Force developer NovaLogic is suing Activision for alleged trademark infringement due to the repeated use of the name "Delta Force" in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Activision has awarded a former Modern Warfare staff a collective pay-out of $42 million (£26m), as part of the publisher's ongoing legal wranglings with Infinity Ward.

Read more

Recent data that showed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales are markedly slower than Black Ops at equivalent times in their respective life cycles doesn't tell the whole story, according to the game's executive producer.

Infinity Ward's Mark Rubin told Eurogamer that the way people are buying Call of Duty is changing. He argued that Modern Warfare 3 has a shorter tail than its predecessors because sales of new COD launches are now more front-loaded than ever.

"What we're seeing is bigger and bigger spikes earlier on," he explained.

Read more

The Call of Duty Elite service now has 10 million registered users, two million of which are paid-up premium subscribers, publisher Activision has announced.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's second DLC collection, due out later this month, includes a new multiplayer mode called Face-Off, developer Infinity Ward has announced.

It's a one-on-one or two-on-two deathmatch mode featuring four brand new maps custom built for more intimate combat.

The first two stages will be available for free to all Xbox 360 players from 15th May, with a PC and PlayStation 3 roll-out to follow. Aground is set on a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland, while Erosion sees you running around Roman ruins in Italy while Mount Vesuvius erupts in the background.

Read more

PlayStation 3 Call of Duty Elite premium subscribers get two new Modern Warfare 3 maps this week.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection 1 DLC launches on PC on 8th May, Infinity Ward has announced.

The Collection 1 content drop, which you'll be able to grab from Steam, includes four multiplayer maps: Piazza, Liberation, Overwatch and Black Box, and two Special Ops missions: Negotiator and Black Ice.

As per Activision's exclusivity deal with Microsoft, the Content Collection 1 launched first for paying Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 in January. All other Xbox 360 owners got it in March. PlayStation 3 owners got it this month. Now PC gamers get it in May.

Read more

Eurogamer sets its sights on the latest COD maps.

PC gamers get a complimentary taste of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes this weekend, Activision has announced.

Come and play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Eurogamer staff this evening on PS3!

Robert Bowling, ex-creative strategist at Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward, has founded a new game studio, Robotoki.

Activision subsidiary Vicarious Visions was at one point working on a tactics-based spin-off of the main Call of Duty series, judging by the online résumé of one of the studio's animators.

New Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 maps and FIFA 12 expansion UEFA Euro 2012 are the headline attractions on this week's updated EU PlayStation Store.

Call of Duty sales are slowing: Modern Warfare 3 sales are behind where sales for predecessor Black Ops were a year ago.

That's according to analysts at Macquarie Equities, who believe Modern Warfare 3 sales to be 4.2 per cent lower, reported Gamasutra.

Apparently, Modern Warfare 3's March 2012 sales were half of Black Ops' March 2011 sales. But specific sales figures aren't publicly available to check.

Read more

Familiar-sounding shooter Battle Duty: Modern Field 3 is currently sixth on the App Store's top 10 free games.

Xbox 360 owners who subscribe to the Call of Duty Elite premium service can download new maps for Modern Warfare 3 today.

Read more

Read more

Read more

Read more

Eurogamer vs. VG247. We won't talk about who won.

Right. We haven't shot many of you in the face for a while now, and we're getting bored of this state of affairs. More to the point, you haven't shot any of us in the face either, and we know this is always popular among regular readers. So let's do something about it.

Infinity Ward 'creative strategist' and public face of Modern Warfare Robert Bowling has resigned from the Call of Duty studio.

Collection 1? What sort of name is that? Come on, Call of Duty, you can do better than this. Content Collection 1 is what it's called on an internal spreadsheet for the accountants. The players expect - nay, demand - a little more sizzle in their presentation, something to get their blood pumping, something that sounds like it belongs on Ross Kemp's Ultimate Force. Operation Blazing Trident. Operation Exploding Panther. That sort of thing.

Yet despite its desperately unassuming title, Modern Warfare 3's first widely available map pack - now open to all Xbox Live gamers, after being quietly slipped to Elite subscribers earlier, and coming to PS3 and PC soon - still gets the pulse racing.

"The biggest content pack for any Call of Duty game ever," boasts the dashboard advert, so what exactly constitutes such a generous feast? Four multiplayer maps and two new Spec Ops missions, is the answer. It may not sound that much more stuffed than the usual map pack, especially with a 1200 Microsoft Points price tag attached, but there's considerable value for money on offer here.

Read more

Modern Warfare 3 developer Infinity Ward has threatened to ban any players taking advantage of a glitch in new DLC for the game.

Activision has admitted that combating Call of Duty cheaters is a "struggle" - but it refuses to wield too heavy a hand when it comes to banning players.

Read more

The missing in action PC version of Call of Duty Elite is still alive - and Activision has promised PC gamers it'll be worth the wait.

Elite "needs to be in" the next Call of Duty, Activision has said.

Update: Modern Warfare 3 Content Drops 4, 5 and 6 won't be released for premium Elite subscribers on PS3 on 12th April. Activision's Dan Amrich said the date was "a mistake", and the proper date is "TBD".

The latest Elite content drop detailed.

Activision has clarified exactly what it was talking about when it mentioned "Call of Duty Elite 2.0" in an investor call last month.

If you're a paid Elite subscriber and an Xbox 360 owner, you'll be getting Content Pack 3 on March 13th. If you're an Xbox 360 owner but you're not a paid Elite subscriber, you'll have the opportunity to pick it up - bundled with Content Packs 1 and 2 - as traditional paid DLC on March 20th. If you're on PS3 or PC, regardless of what you're paying for, you're going to have to wait for the time being. Thank heavens Elite came along and made everything so much simpler, eh? Thank heavens for timed platform exclusives, too.

Confusion aside, I got the chance to take a pretty good look at the three new maps that make up Content Pack 3 at an Activision event last week, and the good news is that they're all worth the wait - no matter how long your personal situation means you'll actually be left hanging on for. Weighing in at three maps in total, what's on offer here is as big as the first two content packs combined, and you're in for lots of hectic, death-defying fun, moving along at 60 fps.

Let's start with Black Box, as it's the only standard multiplayer map in the selection and probably the one that you're going to spend most time on overall. Black Box is a fairly large chunk of territory, and it's set around a crashed airplane. A crashed airplane? If you're picturing the buckled body of a Cessna sticking out of a turnip field somewhere, you're probably thinking COD's lost its flair for drama. Maybe your next Spec Ops assignment will involve queuing to buy donuts with exactly the right loose change, eh? Don't worry: the plane in question is actually Air Force One, and the surrounding landscape is the Hollywood hills.

Read more

Read more

Xbox Live riff-raff who haven't stumped up for a premium Call of Duty Elite subscription can download the first batch of Modern Warfare 3 DLC from 20th March, Activision has announced.

Read more

Games are relationships, Call of Duty publisher Activision has said.

Yet again, Modern Warfare 3 was the best selling game of the month in the US.

This year's entry in the Call of Duty franchise brings with it "meaningful innovation" for the series, according to Activision Publishing chief Eric Hirshberg.

Modern Warfare 3 has seen a 12 per cent increase in unique online gamers over last year's Call of Duty outing, Black Ops.

The next batch of Modern Warfare 3 DLC launches on Xbox 360 from 21st February for premium Elite members, Activision has announced.

It's a new multiplayer map called Overwatch set on a construction site atop a New York skyscraper - see the screenshot below.

"Battle takes place along two levels in a near symmetrical layout, with the central bridge and side routes open to attack from multiple angles. Watch your every step, as a lack of boundaries surrounding the perimeter leaves nothing to prevent you from falling far to the ground below," read the announcement blurb.

Read more

Call of Duty: Elite developer Beachhead has revealed new details and screenshots for Clan Operations.

These are being put through "extensive testing", promised Beachhead on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 forum. "And while we can't give you a date on when it will be ready, it is getting closer every day," the developer added.

Clan leaders can enlist in a Clan Operation via the Compete section of Elite.

Read more

PlayStation 3 Call of Duty Elite premium members can download the first Modern Warfare 3 DLC add-on from 28th February, publisher Activision has announced.

Those Modern Warfare 3 maps released for Call of Duty Elite subscribers aren't supposed to be locked to one Xbox 360 Gamertag per console.

Title Update 8 has been released for Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Live, and is in certification on PlayStation 3.

"It will be out shortly on all platforms soon," wrote Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling, perhaps in a hurry.

Title Update 8 improves networking, Theater, "host disadvantage" and "lag comp".

Read more

The new Modern Warfare 3 maps Shoot Me and Shoot Me a Bit Harder are only accessible by the Xbox 360 Gamertag that subscribes to Call of Duty: Elite.

Activision has sketched out its Modern Warfare 3 DLC schedule for the next nine months or so.

The founder of Megaupload - the file sharing site shut down last week by the US government - is one of the world's top Modern Warfare 3 players.

Two video games, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Call of Duty, will account for around a quarter of all video game sales in the coming financial year, a report suggests.

A third of all money made from video games in the next year will also come from just those two titles, US financial analyst Baird Equity Research states (reported by Gamasutra).

Release dates for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 and Activision's next Call of Duty game have yet to be announced, although it's a fair bet that both will launch before April 2013.

Read more

Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has dropped a hint in a job ad that at least one project for next-generation hardware may be under way within the walls of its studio in Encino, California. In related news, two plus two is now thought to equal five.

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has revealed what happened inside the Call of Duty publisher on the day last year that Kotaku posted masses of leaked Modern Warfare 3 details.

Liberation and Piazza maps coming for Elite subscribers.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the best-selling game in the USA during 2011, according to sales tracker The NPD Group.

Call of Duty game Modern Warfare 3 sold fewer copies than Black Ops in the UK in a comparable time frame.

In 2011, Modern Warfare 3 shifted 2,814,609 copies, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) has revealed (using data provided by weekly counter GfK Chart-Track).

In 2010, Black Ops shifted 3,266,298 copies.

Read more

Modern Warfare 3 was the best selling video game in the UK last year, UKIE and GfK Chart-Track have revealed.

Read more

The first two Modern Warfare 3 DLC 'drops' for Xbox 360 premium Elite members arrives on 24th January, Activision has announced.

You'll be getting two new multiplayer maps. Liberation is a sniper-friendly map set in New York's Central Park, while Piazza takes the action to a seaside village in Italy.

Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling told Eurogamer that there is not yet a confirmed date for when PlayStation 3 and PC subscribers can get their hands on the content, but "they will be staggered after the Xbox release."

Read more

The Call of Duty Elite iPhone app finally goes live tomorrow, Activision has announced.

The best-selling UK video game during the first week of 2012 was FIFA 12. It was also last week's final top title of 2011.

UK boxed video game sales weren't as bad last year as some had expected, an annual UKIE and GfK Chart-Track report has discovered.

The most pirated PC game of 2011 wasn't Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 or Skyrim - it was Crysis 2.

Yes! Welcome to episode 94 of the Eurogamer.net Podcast! As the year grinds to a halt, it's time to reflect on the games that have made suffering the internet bearable. But it's not all about working out which game is better than that other game and putting it into a list. Sometimes, it's about the NEWS.

Infinity Ward has released the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC screenshot.

The first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC launches on 24th January 2012, Infinity Ward has announced.

That is, if you're a Call of Duty Elite subscriber and you own an Xbox 360.

The "full season of content for Modern Warfare 3 kicks off for Elite subscribers 24th January on Xbox Live," Infinity Ward creative strategist said on the Call of Duty Elite exclusive show Roll Call (you have to be a premium member to watch it).

Read more

HMV has admitted the current economic climate may cast doubt on its ability to continue trading.

Gargantuan fantasy role-playing game Skyrim is the UK's Christmas 2011 number one.

Infinity Ward has added new gameplay modes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Drop Zone launches this weekend. Hardcore Ricochet and Hardcore HQ Ricochet go live on the public playlist today.

Infinity Ward has also added Community Playlists. "This is where we will add popular or unique private match modes to the public playlists, so you can start ranking up on them!" Robert Bowling said on the Call of Duty forum.

Read more

The Xbox 360 online matchmaking issue that affects low population Modern Warfare 3 territories is being "actively" worked on, according to developer Infinity Ward.

If you receive a message saying you've been banned from playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for 5000 days, it means you've been "permabanned", developer Infinity Ward has explained.

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 3 online matchmaking won't work properly in countries not supported by Xbox Live.

A hot-fix title update has been released for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

This 'nerfs' FMG9, Type95 and Akimbo FMG9 weapons.

The PS3 hitmarker sound was on the original list but taken off in a subsequent edit.

Read more

Google Street View has been transformed into a distinctly ghoulish first person shooter by a Dutch ad firm.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sold 8.9 million copies in the US during its first month on sale, according to analyst firm Cowen & Company.

As reported by Gamasutra, that's nearly 10 per cent more than the eight million Black Ops managed in its first month on sale last year.

Modern Warfare 3's tally apparently only included 100,000 copies of the Wii version. Even fewer customers bought the Windows version, though the NPD data cited doesn't take into account Steam purchases.

Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 passed the $1 billion sales mark in 16 days - a day quicker than 2009 blockbuster movie Avatar - Activision has said.

Bethesda behemoth The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has knocked Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 off of the UK all-format chart top spot.

UPDATE: Hardware sales numbers are trickling in. The Xbox 360 moved 1.7 million, the Wii 860,000, the 3DS managed 795,000 and the DS 350,000. Sony is yet to offer up its results.

A few game totals have been revealed too. Uncharted 3 sold 700,000, while Super Mario 3D Land managed 625,000. Skyward Sword sold more than 600,000 in its first week, but Nintendo didn't confirm a total for the month.

ORIGINAL STORY: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was November's biggest selling game of the month in the US, according to the latest set of NPD data.

Read more

British MP Keith Vaz has requested MPs hold a Parliamentary debate into the "harmful effects" of video games.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues to dominate the UK video games chart, its sales rising 2 per cent to secure a fourth week on top.

3DS game Mario Kart 7 was this week's sole newcomer, and finished eighth. That's higher than fellow 3DS exclusive Super Mario 3D Land managed three weeks ago, but it is much quieter now.

FIFA 12 sales improved to take the football game to second place. However, EA's game was still 55,000 sales short of rampant chart leader Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Read more

The International Committee of the Red Cross is investigating whether developers should be asked to better respect and reflect international humanitarian law in their video games.

Activision has denied storing Call of Duty Elite passwords in plain text - but has admitted emailing them to customers in plain text form when they ask to recover them.

New Nvidia GeForce drivers have been released that improve performance of games Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, among others.

Gargantuan Activision shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was supermarket giant Sainsbury's best-selling product by value during launch week.

Activision's premium service detailed.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has won a third week atop of the UK all format charts, while several other major launches suffered.

Call of Duty Elite's Friday Night Fights series kicks off this week, Activision has announced.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has won over the generally shooter-shy Japanese public, debuting at the top of the country's weekly software chart.

UK video game mega-chain Game Group is worth 90 per cent less today than a year ago.

Labour MP Keith Vaz has tabled an Early Day Motion in which he expresses concern about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

One million people pay for the premium subscription to Call of Duty Elite, Activision has announced.

Activision made an error when reporting the astonishing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 week-one statistics last week.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has held firm at the top of the UK charts in the year's busiest week of game releases, despite its second week sales dropping by 87 per cent.

Infinity Ward has banned hundreds of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cheaters.

The full Call of Duty Elite experience should be up and running by 1st December, developer Beachhead Studios has promised.

The Call of Duty franchise might have made more money than the likes of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings at the box office, but it still has a long way to go before it overtakes them as a brand.

US shop giant GameStop has sold over half a million Call of Duty Elite memberships, it has revealed.

Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time, and is approaching a billion dollars in sales - but publisher Activision is yet to comment on the performance of Elite, its stat tracking and social service.

But it looks like it's off to a flyer - GameStop, the biggest specialist video game shop in the US, sold 600,000 "instances", as it calls it, of Elite. This makes Elite one of GameStop's top 10 launches of the year so far.

Read more

Call of Duty Elite, which has for many Modern Warfare 3 players been inaccessible since launch, is improving, Activision has insisted.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has obliterated its own five-day entertainment record, grossing more than $775 million worldwide.

Game, which has closed 37 stores this year, has blamed decreased sales and revenue on what it describes as "extraordinary" economic conditions.

Activision misspoke when it said yesterday that it couldn't guarantee Call of Duty Elite would launch on PC.

Activision has cast doubt on the launch of Call of Duty Elite on PC after it said it was unable to guarantee its availability on the platform.

The PC version of Elite, the Beachhead Studio-developed service that expands the multiplayer side of Call of Duty, was delayed by Activision ahead of Modern Warfare 3's launch.

Beachhead Studio head Chacko Sonny said the decision was taken to ensure a safe PC environment.

Read more

Barely a month has passed in the last year without EA reiterating its intent for Battlefield to steal a significant share of the FPS market from Activision's Call of Duty, and in the long term to eventually overtake it.

With both games now on shelves and early sales figures in (Battlefield 3 did five million in a week, Modern Warfare 3 did more than 6.5 million in a day), a number of industry analysts have offered Eurogamer their thoughts on just how that strategy is panning out.

The consensus? Everyone's a winner.

Read more

The launch of the Call of Duty Elite mobile app has been pushed back until the new stat-tracking service is stable, Activision has announced.

UPDATE: The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment has been in touch to say the "just under two million units sales" and £83.1 million revenue figures for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are "unverified" and should be disregarded.

ORIGINAL STORY: Modern Warfare 3 demolished all opposition to conquer the UK video game sales chart this week.

Surprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 sold fewer units in the UK in one week than previous Call of Duty instalment Black Ops.

Read more

Some might say that the war was over before it truly began. The extraordinary sparring between Electronic Arts and Activision, encompassing developers and executives alike, may well have made for good copy for us journalist types, but where it matters - with the gamers - the results look rather one-sided. Preliminary sales data points to just one winner in the great Battlefield 3/Modern Warfare 3 kerfuffle: Activision has clearly emerged triumphant with what it is describing as the biggest launch in the history of the entire entertainment business.

Latency measured for both games in Digital Foundry tests.

Themes and scenarios echo across both games.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has set the record for the biggest entertainment launch ever, Activision has announced.

It generated an eye-watering $400 million in the US and UK alone. It sold more than 6.5 million units in the US and UK in the first 24 hours of release, according to Chart-Track and retail customer sell-through information.

Modern Warfare 3 beats Call of Duty: Black Ops' record, set this time last year. Black Ops had estimated day one sell through of $360 million. 2009's Modern Warfare 2 had a sell through of $310 million.

Read more

Graphics card maker Nvidia has pointed to games such as Battlefield 3 as evidence that the PC platform is way ahead of current generation consoles.

This week marked the fifth anniversary of the release of one of my favourite Xbox 360 games ever made.

Viva Pinata was a cute and cuddly game where you planted seeds in a garden and then looked after the friendly animals who popped in to investigate the trees and plants that grew from them. There were 60 varieties to attract, each more delightful than the last, and as their ranks swelled you could sacrifice some to attract other, more exotic species in their place.

Of course, this week also marked the fifth anniversary of the emergence of another famous Xbox 360 series.

Read more

All paid-up Call of Duty Elite premium members get an extra 30 days added to their account for free, as compensation for ongoing issues with the service, Activision has announced.

Xbox LIVE gameplay versus Digital Foundry analysis.

Online PSN gameplay measured with Digital Foundry performance tools.

Like-for-like scenes on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 analysed.

Read more

-

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3

Read more

Premier Manager 2012 and Call of Duty Elite headline this week's European PlayStation Store update.

Call of Duty Elite unlocks free access to 20 pieces of Modern Warfare 3 DLC, which will be released from early 2012. You also get access to premium video service Elite TV, plus a huge array of post-match statistics.

Sadly, you can't download the full Modern Warfare 3 PS3 game. You can, however, download Call of Duty: Black Ops, providing you have £47.99 and 14GB hard-drive space spare.

Read more

Read more

Full Face-Off coming tomorrow

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 day-one shipments are the largest for any game ever, Activision has said.

Console takes on computer in this head-to-head vid.

Console sub-HD versus native res/max settings.

Over 40 PC, 360 and PS3 campaign shots.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer is designed to make life hard on campers, according to co-developer Sledgehammer Games.

Read more

The cold, wet London weather couldn't dampen the spirits of Infinity Ward last night as it celebrated the launch of Modern Warfare 3 at the stroke of midnight.

Bookies are already paying out on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as the UK's Christmas number one game - only twelve hours after it went on sale.

Read more

The British Board of Film Classification has dismissed comparisons between sequences in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the 2005 London bombings.

Update: Amazon has responded to Eurogamer. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is officially the most pre-ordered game ever at Amazon.

Call of Duty: Elite has been released on Xbox Live.

It's come round fast. The mythical-sounding 11/11/11 Skyrim release date Bethesda announced last year is soon to be upon us.

Call of Duty, to paraphrase Douglas Adams, is big. You won't believe how big it is. It's been an incredibly rapid expansion as well, a Big Bang that few could have predicted. As recently as 2006, with Call of Duty 3, the series was just another well-regarded but modestly successful WWII shooter, fighting for shelf space alongside Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms.

But 2007's Modern Warfare turned Call of Duty into a legitimate media phenomenon: a superbrand that generates the same enormous numbers as a Tom Cruise, a U2 or a Manchester United. And like those entertainment colossi, it's as divisive as it is popular.

For every player who loves the games for their razzle-dazzle and online ubiquity, there's another who would gladly see the latest entry slapped with a mediocre score just to cut it down to size. Is it unfair to mark a game down just for giving millions of fans exactly what they want? Or do games that generate this much attention and income have an obligation to stretch the boundaries of their genres?

Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches tomorrow - Tuesday, 8th November 2011.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 London launch event will be streamed online via YouTube.

www.youtube.com/codmw3launch is the dedicated YouTube channel that will stream the event from 7pm tonight as guests arrive on the green carpet. See what they did there?

Your hosts are TV presenter Rick Edwards, Microsoft's Graeme Boyd aka AceyBongos, and YouTube super user DaveyBoyz.

Read more

Read more

Modern Warfare 3 has some "pretty shocking" moments, according to Sledgehammer Games' creative director Bret Robbins.

Activision will not ban early Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players, despite only last week telling Microsoft it would.

In France, two masked men armed with tear gas and knives stole a truck thought to contain around 6000 copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Read more

We've reached a point where PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 don't have much "raw horsepower" left to give, Modern Warfare 3 developer Sledgehammer Games has said.

Modern Warfare 3, potentially the biggest game ever, will launch this Tuesday, 8th November.

At 00.01am on Tuesday morning - more commonly known as midnight, Monday - you'll be able to buy the game at shops across the UK.

Game and Gamestation will open 574 shops at midnight to welcome Modern Warfare 3.

Read more

Read more

Activision has delayed Call of Duty: Elite on the PC, calling the platform "insecure".

UPDATE: Microsoft has reinforced its warning that early Modern Warfare 3 players may see their Xbox Live accounts banned.

The Price is right.

Read more

Read more

Fusion: Genesis, the debut game by ex-Rare staffers Starfire Studios, will be released on 9th November via Xbox Live Arcade. The sci-fi twin-stick shooter will cost 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80).

Earlier next week, on 7th November, you'll find Call of Duty subscription service Elite. This costs 4000 MSP (£34) and grants access to a huge list of premium features, including 20 pieces of DLC.

Today, according to Major Nelson, you'll find the Forza 4 November Speed Pack, as well as Batman: Arkham City's Nightwing Bundle. Each costs 560 MSP (£4.76).

Read more

Welcome to the gun show.

Beachhead Studio details its work.

FPS juggernaut out next month.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developer Infinity Ward has outlined the features specific to the PC version of the game and reiterated its commitment to PC gamers and the PC platform.

Streaks of genius.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the overwhelming favourite to claim this year's UK Christmas number one spot, according to bookmakers Ladbrokes.

GameStop UK will sell you Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for £0.99 if you trade-in Battlefield 3.

The Call of Duty Elite beta shuts down at 8pm tonight as Activision prepares to launch Modern Warfare 3.

The Connect, Compete and Improve sections will remain closed, but access to the Career page will soon open to all.

When it does, Call of Duty gamers will have access to Black Ops stats.

Read more

Eiffel down.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developer Glen Schofield has apologised for criticising Battlefield 3 developer DICE.

Modern Warfare 3 co-developer Sledgehammer Games has stepped up to defend the Call of Duty game engine against allegations that it's starting to show its age.

Two explosive new airborne views.

Eurogamer meets Glen Schofield.

Sledgehammer Games boss Glen Schofield has dismissed the suggestion of any rivalry between Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, insisting: "My competition has been Modern Warfare 2."

World exclusive gameplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will premiere at half time during the Montenegro vs. England European Championship qualifier tonight.

The single-player trailer goes live at 9pm UK time on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

After the footage is shown here it will be sent out to the rest of the world for global consumption.

Read more

Pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at Game or Gamestation and you'll get double XP for the first four hours of play.

If you pre-order the PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 you get the PC version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare free.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developer Infinity Ward has vowed to do a better job of combating cheats in the PC version of the game than it did with Modern Warfare 2.

Ancillary services like Call of Duty: Elite and Battlefield 3's Battlelog will be "a necessity" for all mainstream games in the not-too-distant future, according to Activision's digital VP.

The entire list of Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Achievements has arrived. Presumably the Trophies on PlayStation 3 will be the same.

You can buy fizzy drinks and crisps to earn double XP in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - in the US.

Eurogamer is delighted to announce the 10 nominees for its Game of the Show, Eurogamer Expo 2011.

The Call of Duty Elite beta goes live on PlayStation 3 today, Activision has announced.

Access will be activated in stages, with limited invitations rolling out from today.

Features being tested in the beta include stat tracking, the use of custom player groups, competitive events and video sharing, with many more then added when it launches for real on 8th November.

Read more

Activision will not release a Prestige Edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Eurogamer is thrilled to announce that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 completes the line-up of playable games at this year's Eurogamer Expo.

Every Sunday we dig an interesting article out of our massive archive for you to enjoy again or perhaps read for the first time. With a new Call of Duty out on Tuesday, this week we thought we'd take you back to Call of Duty XP, the 2011 event Activision put on in Los Angeles to celebrate the series. This article was originally published on 14th September 2011.

Call of Duty publisher Activision has ousted the owners of www.ModernWarfare3.com after a long-running legal battle.

The PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 features LAN support and extensive class control options for created games.

By encouraging gamers out of the shadows, Call of Duty Elite has had the knock-on effect of people treating their "neighbours" with "respect", Activision has observed.

There are more than 500 developers working on mega-brand Call of Duty, Activision has revealed.

MW trilogy in one tin.

Still unsure whether Call of Duty Elite's premium content warrants £34.99 of your hard-earned cash? Activision has just released a full feature list to try and sway you.

The 320GB Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 designed Xbox 360 will launch alongside the game on 8th November in the UK.

Read more

Live-action Find Makarov sequel.

Tourneys! Theatre! Tags! Profiles!

Wireless headset, dock revealed.

Iterating on the most successful multiplayer video game in the world today would be hard enough in solitude. But doing so in the centre of an online amphitheatre with 20 million voices screaming conflicting views of what to change and what to leave well alone must be nothing short of paralysing.

A limited edition Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 console launches in tandem with the new entry in the Call of Duty series this November, Microsoft has announced.

Working on Modern Warfare 3 following the departure of studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella in early 2010 was "an extremely tough time" according to the game's producer Mark Rubin.

An annual subscription to Call of Duty's forthcoming Elite service will cost £34.99, Activision has announced.

Infinity Ward has revealed full details of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer, insisting there are "more changes to the game than ever before."

First look at the game's online modes.

Sledgehammer Games ditched development on its third-person action adventure Call of Duty game to work on Modern Warfare 3 because it was too good an opportunity to miss.

Sledgehammer, co-founded by ex-Dead Space chief Glen Schofield, and Michael Condrey in 2009, was conceived to make a new game in the COD franchise, but the pull of Modern Warfare 3 proved too great.

"The opportunity to work on the biggest thing in the industry with Infinity Ward, that's demonstrated that they know how to do exceptional software, was just an opportunity we couldn't [miss]," Condrey told GameSpot.

Read more

The contents of the Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition have apparently been made public, courtesy of a promotional shot leaked to Wired.

It started with a nuke.

At least some of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes will support 32 players, according to leaked gameplay footage.

The PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will use Steamworks, Valve has announced.

Following yesterday's Deus Ex fashion line announcement, Modern Warfare 3 is the latest brand to jump on the catwalk, this time with officially sanctioned "gaming eyewear".

And so the playground spat between two of the biggest publishers in the business rumbles on.

Battlefield will eventually outsell Call of Duty, EA reckons.

Cod science.

EA's recent spate of public "mudslinging" over this year's Modern Warfare 3/Battlefield 3 showdown is bad for the industry, so says Activision exec Eric Hirshberg.

Beachhead Studios has told Eurogamer that if "uber fans" of Modern Warfare 3 don't end up wanting premium accounts for Call of Duty: Elite then the developer will regard that as a failure.

Activision has said that it will support dedicated servers in the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 despite ongoing concerns about how they can be used to cheat online.

Last week, John decried the rise of the free-to-play game and, by extension, its cousins in the murky world of digital business models: micro-transactions and downloadable content.

Alien and Blade Runner director Ridley Scott is making content for Call of Duty: Elite, Activision has announced.

Bomb dogs! Upgrades! Juggernauts!

A version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released for DS, developer n-Space has announced.

An Australian ratings board listing reveals its full title as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance.

The 3DS will apparently miss out on the action however. Disappointed? Don't blame n-Space, the company has said, replying to fan outcry at the lack of support for Nintendo's new handheld.

Read more

Call of Duty: Black Ops creator Treyarch is developing the recently revealed Wii version of Modern Warfare 3.

Sitcom stars Jason Bateman and Will Arnett have signed with Activision to provide original video programming for the mega-publisher's Call of Duty Elite service.

A Wii version of Modern Warfare 3 launches alongside the already-announced PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version, publisher Activision has confirmed.

Publishing exec Eric Hirshberg made the announcement during an investor call today, explaining it's releasing the game on Nintendo's system "so as not to leave any of the community out of the excitement."

Hirshberg didn't reveal who is responsible for porting it over, though Treyarch was behind the Wii versions of both Black Ops and Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare 2 never made it to the system.

Read more

The Xbox Live Enforcement team is "moving into a realm where we're applying more automation to the process" of policing gamers.

Battlefield 3 developer DICE has moved to calm console gamers upset the game only runs at 30 frames-per-second on PS3 and Xbox 360.

There will be a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition.

Battlefield 3's pre-order numbers are "roughly comparable" with those of Call of Duty: Black Ops, according to industry analyst firm Cowen & Company.

Two new peeks at in-game imagery.

Gaming is heading towards a free-to-play future, with leading industry lights predicting the business model will take hold within the next few years.

It may have been nearly two years since the last Modern Warfare game, but Infinity Ward can't seem to get out of the headlines. First there was the infamous sacking of studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella, then earlier this year Kotaku released a huge stack of leaked campaign materials for Modern Warfare 3, and more recently some wag started redirecting modernwarfare3.com to the website of EA's competing Battlefield 3. It must be something of a relief for Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling that he gets to talk about the game nowadays rather than hijinx.

Ear Force Limited Edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 headsets will launch in the UK.

Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling told Eurogamer today that he can see no reason why a dedicated shooter fan wouldn't want to own both Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 when the two go head to head this year.

Read more

PC and PlayStation 3 gamers will have to wait to jump into the Call of Duty: Elite beta, Activision has said.

The social network and stat tracking service is already live for Xbox 360 owners.

PS3 gamers get Elite "this summer". PC gamers have to wait until the autumn.

Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is smashing UK pre-order records.

Activision has filed a $2600 complaint against www.ModernWarfare3.com - a URL that caused commotion due to redirecting visitors to the Battlefield 3 website.

Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer maps are being designed with a "Call of Duty 4 mentality", Infinity Ward has revealed.

Activision has the bullet points.

Unlike its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will support Party Chat for the majority of its multiplayer modes, developer Infinity Ward has confirmed.

The first wave of invitations for the Call of Duty: Elite beta go out today, Activision has confirmed.

As explained by community man Dan Amrich on his One of Swords blog, those who signed up should check their email inboxes to see if they've made it in.

Access is being granted, for the most part, in order of who signed up first. If you don't get a call-up today, fret not - further waves of invitations will go out "later".

Read more

It won't be as big as the Eurogamer Expo 2011, but the lavish Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles will probably attract a few stragglers.

The website www.ModernWarfare3.com redirects visitors to the official Battlefield 3 website, www.battlefield.com.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will include a Colour Blind Assist option, Sledgehammer Games has confirmed.

Battlefield 3 won't follow fellow military shooter Call of Duty's lead and feature cackling Russian supervillains, developer DICE has said.

Call of Duty has a big enough fan following to warrant an expo, a fanfest, a CODCon. So that's what Activision is doing.

Say hello to Call of Duty XP, a two-day event at a 12-ace compound in Los Angeles, America. Call of Duty XP takes place on 2nd and 3rd September.

Tickets cost $150, and there are a modest 6000 of them. They go on sale from 19th July, and can be snapped up by people outside the US and Canada as well as from within.

Read more

Battlefield 3 runs at 30 frames per second on console - it's the chink in the armour that the makers of Modern Warfare 3 have begun prying open.

Many of the developers who made Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – despite the mass exodus following the sacking of Vince Zampella and Jason West.

An action adventure title set in the Call of Duty universe that Sledgehammer Games was working on before it was drafted in to help out on Modern Warfare 3 could still see release, Activision has revealed.

You ain't seen all of Call of Duty: Elite yet - Activision's got some aces up its sleeve.

On console, Battlefield 3 produces a 720p resolution at 30 frames per second.

Activision botched the announcement of its Call of Duty: Elite community portal, so says EA boss John Riccitiello.

Controversial Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has an acting role in Brad Pitt's next film, it appears.

More than two million people want in on the Call of Duty: Elite beta, Activision has revealed.

That many people registered their interest in under two weeks.

Activision's social media "guy" Dan Amrich revealed the number on his blog. "It blew my mind," he said.

Read more

US chat show hosts Infinity Ward's shooter.

As it has done for the past few years, the FPS genre dominated E3 this month. However, as exemplified by the likes of Brothers In Arms: Furious 4, Far Cry 3, Rage and Modern Warfare 3, the class of 2011 seemed to boast a particularly brutal streak.

Seconds out, round whatever: EA's John Riccitiello and Activision's Bobby Kotick are at it again.

Modern Warfare 2 famously didn't have dedicated servers on PC - but Modern Warfare 3 might.

Zombie Studios' Jared Gerritzen has criticised Activisions plans for the Call of Duty: Elite payment system, suggesting it's the work of a "jerk".

In our review of Microsoft's E3 press conference, we addressed claims from Infinity Ward that Modern Warfare 3 is "locked" at 60FPS, based on observations from the gameplay showcased at media briefing. Our conclusion? The game still dropped frames, but did a very good job in maintaining a perceptual 60Hz update.

The man who made the original claims is non-other than Infinity Ward's creative strategist, Rob Bowling, who was also the guy playing the game on stage. He recently tweeted that MW3 "will be locked at 60 FPS which means it will never go below it... it can always go above 60 FPS."

There's perhaps a bit of confusion here. Call of Duty games are v-synced - put simply, each time the display is refreshed, a new frame is piped through to the screen. If the frame completes rendering before the refresh, the system waits for your display to catch up. In short, the game physically can't run faster than 60FPS without introducing screen-tear, and we really don't want to go there in a console COD game.

Read more

Now Activision has announced Call of Duty: Elite, parts of which cost money to use, will rival EA ever make gamers pay to play Battlefield online?

Read more

Underwater action from Microsoft's meet.

Xbox 360 will be getting exclusivity on Modern Warfare 3's map packs and add-ons, according to a low key statement at the end of a presentation at this morning's E3 2011 presentation.

A private-public beta test for Call of Duty Elite will begin on 14th July, Activision has announced.

Participation will be by invite only.

Invites will be given to gamers playing Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer. No platforms were specified, which suggests a mutli-platform beta test.

Read more

Activision's long-rumoured Call of Duty subscription service was finally outed last week to great fanfare. But while there will be premium features for paying customers, the publisher claims the service will also be "the best free service on the market".

Activision has brushed off Electronic Arts' aim to dent Call of Duty's position at the top of the first-person shooter pile with Battlefield 3.

Call of Duty: Elite's subscription services will set gamers back around $5 (£3) a month, so say a selection of industry analysts canvassed by Eurogamer.

Details of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes have appeared, courtesy of a Kotaku source.

According to the tipster, multiplayer will be split between traditional maps and co-op Spec Ops maps. As reported last week, the latter will include both a survival mode and mission-based stages.

It's thought that around 20 maps are currently being worked on, though it's not clear how many will come with the game and how many will be offered post-launch as DLC.

Read more

Those who subscribe to Call of Duty: Elite, the social networking, stat-tracking service for the gargantuan first-person shooter series, get exclusive access to a Call of Duty web TV series.

Those who subscribe to multiplayer service Call of Duty: Elite will battle on a level playing field against those who don't, developer Beachhead has insisted.

Amid the ongoing Sony hack furore, Activision has pledged to ensure that Call of Duty: Elite, the new multiplayer-focused service set to launch alongside Modern Warfare 3 this November, will help rid the game of cheaters.

Call of Duty: Elite is a new Activision service that expands the multiplayer side of gargantuan first-person shooter series.

Do you need a new social network in your life? Activision thinks you do. It's betting so hard on it, in fact, that it's set up an entire developer, Beachhead Studios, just to create and maintain one – or something that certainly looks like one, anyway. It's aimed at the millions of people out there who play Call of Duty multiplayer.

Read more

Activision has ended months of speculation and announced a subscription service for the biggest game series in the world: Call of Duty.

Activision shows COD subscription service.

Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops co-op mode is getting special attention for the upcoming sequel, co-developers Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer have announced.

In-game images from Infinity Ward's latest.

So, where were we?

Modern Warfare 2 had No Russian, Modern Warfare 3 has "a chilling echo of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London", according to the Daily Mail.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 represents a major step forward for the FPS genre, so says Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg.

Read more

Activision has offered its perspective on the massive leak that laid Modern Warfare 3 bare last week, detailing how it tried to turn the situation into a "marketing win".

Modern Warfare 3 will not suffer from its predecessor's lack of post-launch support, Infinity Ward has insisted.

Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling tweeted that constant patches would be a top priority for the developer.

"That is a major focus of mine and the entire team since the feedback from Modern Warfare 2," Bowling wrote.

Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hits UK shelves on 8th November, according to an Amazon listing.

If true, that confirms reports from Eurogamer sources published last week.

Activision finally took the lid off its forthcoming FPS sequel over the weekend, following a massive leak on Friday that dumped full plot and gameplay details on the internet.

Read more

The next Call of Duty teased.

The U.S. takes another hit.

Warfare wins where Guy Fawkes fails.

Eiffel down.

Prompted by yesterday's huge leak, Infinity Ward and Activision have made Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 official.

Kotaku has blown Modern Warfare 3 wide open, verifying game details, gathering screenshots and reposting the entire story online.