Call of Duty: Elite facing launch snafus

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 went on sale at 12:01 a.m. today, debuting alongside Beachhead Studios' new Call of Duty: Elite multiplayer-focused online service. While the game's launch appears to have gone off without a hitch, the service is another matter. In a statement posted on Activision's official Call of Duty: Elite site at 12:15 a.m., Beachhead Studios head Chacko Sonny addressed user reports of problems getting started with Elite.

"Registration requests for our new live service Call of Duty Elite are exceeding even our most optimistic expectations, which is creating a bottleneck and some players have not been able to register," Sonny said. "We have already registered hundreds of thousands of players, and we are working around the clock to increase our capacity as quickly as possible."

While the statement appeared to have been taken down as of press time, Activision was still acknowledging ongoing problems through official channels later in the morning. The verified Call of Duty: Elite Twitter feed addressed specific user complaints, saying, "We're working to increase capacity for the hundreds of thousands of players wanting membership. Stay tuned for details."

Although it launched with Modern Warfare 3, the Call of Duty: Elite service also supports last year's release in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops. That game has been proclaimed the highest-earning game of all time on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in the US and Europe.

Elite provides players with gameplay statistics, video sharing, and clan support features for free, but those who shell out for the $50 annual subscription will also receive all downloadable content released in the year, video content including strategy and analysis from some of the best competitive players in the world, and the Elite TV episodic content from talent like Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and directors Ridley and Tony Scott.

For more on the flagship Call of Duty: Elite release, check out GameSpot's review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.