Modern Warfare 2 map pack due spring 2010

Activision Blizzard certainly knows a thing or two about hauling in cash, as evidenced by the publisher's billion-dollar April-June quarter. In a post-earnings call, Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith tipped off investors and analysts as to how it plans to extend Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's sales beyond the game's rapidly approaching November 10 release, saying that the game will get a pair of map packs post-launch.

Today, Activision revealed the time frame for one of those map packs, as part of a giveaway for Modern Warfare 2-branded Monster Energy drinks that will go on sale in October. As part of a set of promotional materials provided to various media outlets, the Monster Energy packaging notes that 5,000 winners will be offered a free Modern Warfare 2 map pack, which has a "planned release" in spring 2010.

Activision declined to offer more information on the giveaway and would not comment on whether the spring 2010 map pack would be the first available for Modern Warfare 2. The Monster Energy prize opportunity also includes 100 copies of the game and 10,000 Modern Warfare 2 dashboard themes for the Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as a free can of Monster Energy drink.

The publisher has already enjoyed significant success with downloadable map packs for Call of Duty. In July, Activision said that the first two map packs for its most recent installment in the franchise, the 11-million-unit-selling World at War, have achieved combined sales of 4 million units. A third World at War map pack went on sale in August.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Modern Warfare 2.