COD Elite status update: The latest info

UPDATE 11/23: The age gate issue is worked out; people under the limit will still get DLC. Mobile apps will appear when the service is more stable.

Please visit http://www.callofduty.com/elite/toolbar/status.html and follow @CallOfDutyElite on Twitter for the latest operating status updates, and check http://bit.ly/elitefaq for more detailed answers from Activision Customer Support.

FIRST POST 11/7: You might be pulling an all-nighter to get your first gameplay experience with Modern Warfare 3, but the teams at Beachhead & Activision are pulling one too — to address some of the launch issues with Call of Duty Elite.

The official Twitter account, @CallOfDutyElite, sent out the following updates in the late hours:

All. We are aware of the issue. Surge of new Elite registrations is creating reg & login issues. Teams are working now to increase capacity. [link]

Please note the “password” error on login is being caused by this registration load issue. You do not need to change your password. [link]

Service is capturing all MW3 gameplay data. Data, heatmaps, and activity will be waiting for you upon registration. [link]

Beachhead & operations teams working around clock to increase Elite reg capacity asap. Pls check callofduty.com/elite/status for updates from devs [link]

It’s difficult to launch not only a giant game like MW3 but a huge, scratch-built service like Elite simultaneously — and try to do it worldwide. So, give ‘em time, and don’t panic in the interim. They’re working through the night so maybe things will look different in the morning.

UPDATE: Added the fourth tweet above, and if you go to the URL listed, you’ll find a note from Beachhead Studio head Chacko Sonny reiterating that they are aware of the issues and they’re working on them “around the clock.” This is not an exaggeration; I visited Chacko today and that team is bustin’ ass on very little sleep. So stay tuned.

UPDATE 11/8: Two new tweets went up late Tuesday:

UPDATE: Teams working hard & increased reg. capacity 4x today; devs focused on ELITE stats access as more come online. Please hang in there. [link]

UPDATE 2: We know you want news on ELITE mobile apps. Update for you tomorrow about the iOS and Android launch. Stay tuned. [link]

Keep an eye on that Twitter account for more developments. This is all unfolding in real-time, folks. If you are having trouble redeeming a code, please click here for your Activision customer support options. Believe me, they’re expecting your call.

UPDATE 11/9: A lot of people have been confused as to whether their Elite code/paid subscription to Elite actually went through or not. Courtesy of the Activision customer support team, here’s some great info on exactly how to check to see:

To check on PS3 go to Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List, and you can see your membership there.

To check on Xbox 360, go My Xbox>Select your profile>Account Management>Manage Account> Your Memberships, and you should see the membership status there.

UPDATE 11/10: Just after midnight PT, two more messages came through from the team on Twitter:

Progress made on registration & login + we’ve added a queue to ease the server load. Please be patient – we want to get you into Elite. [link]

Compiling community Qs, posting FAQ shortly – trying to keep you updated. [link]

A FAQ will probably help significantly right about now. Heaven knows I’ve seen plenty of questions come through.

Also, it’s worth noting that I activated my own Elite premium membership on Xbox 360 Wednesday afternoon around 4pm. I checked back at 5:30 and saw I had been upgraded, then I received official email confirmation from Xbox Live around 10pm. (Kat had the same result.) So that’s good news and some personal experience I can offer: Memberships are processing, but you’re not going to get instant confirmation — it will take a little while.

UPDATE 2, 11/10: There is a new and lengthy update at callofduty.com/elite/status this morning, and it contains a lot of the key points people have been asking about. Please read it in full for yourself, but the highlights are:

• MW3 is working fine; Elite’s issues don’t affect the core game. Your stats in MW3 (and Black Ops) are totally safe.
• Login and registration issues from the first two days are fixed; now the console apps are causing problems by pulling more data than they anticipated.
• They’re going to scale back the number of users while they add new servers. As they add hardware, more people will get access.
• If you are a premium member, you will get your in-game MW3 items ASAP. It’s a priority for the team to activate Founder camo etc.
• If you are a premium member, your membership is being extended by 30 days automatically.
• The Founder eligibility deadline will be extended to the end of November. (You will also get the extra 30 days.)
• Activision’s customer service site has a very detailed FAQ that you will want to read.

I think this is the big info drop we’ve all been waiting for. PLEASE spread the word about these sites and share this information to your fellow players who may be confused or out of the loop. Short and easy URLs for these sites are http://bit.ly/codelitestatus and http://bit.ly/elitefaq – feel free to use them.

UPDATE 11/11: There have been a few more Tweets from @CallOfDutyElite. I recommend following them and keeping an eye on it every so often to see the latest updates. I think the combination of more frequent Twitter communication, the status page, and the customer support FAQ have given people a lot of the information they were seeking this week, so I have been in less of a hurry to update this page.

However, if you’re looking for some more comments from the Beachhead team, here’s a Joystiq piece on what’s going on now including interview quotes from Call of Duty’s VP of production, Daniel Suarez. One of the quotes that jumped out at me as a good summary of the situation:

We want to make sure the things we’re doing right now remain stable. Right now we don’t have a definitive goal to have everything up by this date, we just don’t have that data yet.

UPDATE 11/12: As of late last night, there’s a fresh note at the official status page. Notably, they’re working on the age-gate issue.

Also, I found out what the red skull means, officially: It means you’re a paid premium member. So if you see one on your account, and you’ve entered your Elite code or paid for a subscription via the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace, that’s good; it means you are a full member. A green skull means you are not only paid, but have received Founder status.

Founder status grants you in-game items for MW3 like Elite-specific titles and emblems (I got two of each). The Elite weapon camo is called Winter and can be found at the bottom of the list of camos for all guns. Also, when you log into the website for Elite, you will see a green skull icon next to your account name and as a large background graphic for the page. I have more information about Founder status confusion here if you need it, but remember that anyone who gets a premium membership before the end of November will receive Founder status and its benefits (which, in addition to the above, includes a Founder-only group, special competitions, and a clan XP boost of some kind. There’s a teaser list at the bottom of this chart.)

UPDATE 11/14: Two new tweets of interest:

ELITE Founders! To get access to your title, emblem & camo, login to the ELITE website. They will appear in-game a few hours later. [link]

We’re focusing on Clan invites now. We’ve identified the problem and will let you know as soon as a fix is implemented. [link]

Founders are also getting a big email from Chacko Sonny, Studio Head, Beachhead Studio, & Jamie Berger, VP Digital, Activision, which directly apologizes for the hassles of the last week, explains what caused them, restates some of the information that you may already know (all subscriptions extended by 30 days; all your data is safe even if you can’t see it right away), and adds a few extra bits of info (“We will also be prioritizing your access to ELITE in order to ensure that you are among the first to get fully into the service.”) I am actually very happy to see that last bit; the people who paid up front should be given as much access as the current reality allows.

UPDATE 11/15: Shortly after I added that last update, a new letter was posted at the official status page. Check it yourself, but the highlights:

• You should be able to see some of the progress that’s been made over the last week
• They’ve apparently found a solution to the age gate issue, and they will implement it soon
• The mobile apps (iOS & Android)won’t launch until the system is more stable
• If you haven’t gotten your Founder in-game benefits, log into the website and that should push them along