First Offensive of the Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Season of Content Launches Now

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), has lit the fuse on the highly-anticipated Modern Warfare® 3 Content Season for Call of Duty® Elite, with the release of two all-new multiplayer maps, the opening salvo of nine consecutive months of downloadable content for Call of Duty® Elite's premium members on the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. 

Call of Duty Elite Drop 1: Liberation, a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, featuring a vast landscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills. Mounted turrets on opposing ends of the map offer overwhelming firepower to anyone brave enough to man them.  Elite Drop 2: Piazza, set in an idyllic seaside village, Italian getaway gone rogue, where blind corners and a complex network of branching pathways pose danger at every turn. Visceral close-quarters combat dominates in Piazza, and attacks from above and below are an ever-constant threat.

To celebrate the launch of the new content drops on Xbox LIVE, Call of Duty Elite will run specialized community screen shot events highlighting the new maps through the end of the month, with real-world prizes on tap for winners.

Published by Activision and co-developed by three powerhouse studios – Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software – the Modern Warfare 3 Content Season will include an unprecedented breadth and variety of new content. Liberation and Piazza are the first two of twenty new Content Drops for Call of Duty Elite premium members, rolling out once a month throughout the nine-month DLC season. The Content Drops will be available for purchase by the entire Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 player community on Xbox LIVE in March, as part of the first Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection.  The Content Drops will be available on additional platforms at a later time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language.  For more information on the Call of Duty® : MW3 content drops, season of content, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty Elite visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite.

To become a Call of Duty Elite premium member and receive Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 content early, go to http://www.callofduty.com/elite/go-premium.  For additional Call of Duty Elite updates and information, visit www.facebook.com/callofdutyelite, and also via Twitter @CallofDutyElite.

Published by Activision and developed by Beachhead Studio, Call of Duty Elite is a comprehensive social gaming network offering a deep and innovative service for all registered Call of Duty players. Call of Duty Elite provides "always-on," universal communication between the platform and the game. Players can access Call of Duty Elite via web, console, and mobile devices — Call of Duty Elite allows players to connect with friends, plan multiplayer matches with their Clan or social Group, configure load-outs, access comprehensive stats and interactive heat maps, and much more.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com. 

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SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.