With Valentines Day over, it’s time to get back to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Activision Blizzard is launching a new map this month dubbed Overwatch, a multi-floor battle that takes place 70 floors up in a skyscraper.
The map is part of an ongoing effort to transform games from a one-time purchase to a year-round business.
The map is the next “content drop” for gamers who have a premium subscription ($4.99 a month) for Call of Duty Elite social network. The new Overwatch map will be available on Feb. 21 on Xbox Live for premium Elite members. Non-premium Elite members can purchase the content in March.
Activision Blizzard is attempting to change the ball game with its map releases and the Call of Duty Elite social network. Eric Hirshberg, chief executive of Activision Publishing, said in a speech last week that games aren’t just products that you pay $60 for as a one-time transaction. Rather, they are brands that “you buy into” and stay engaged with throughout the year. By releasing map packs for Modern Warfare 3 — the best-selling game in history — once a month or so, the company is trying to get users to play — and pay — for content on a year-round basis.
Here’s the new trailer for the map.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1j-v8Ggmus]