To describe the current situation with Call of Duty Elite since the launch of Modern Warfare 3 as frustrating would be like calling the noise from a flashbang grenade discernable. The servers have been crunched under the weight of what the login message many are seeing below is calling “peak traffic.” Those who have been lucky enough to access their main profile pages have often been met with blank stat screens and missing account components like their Founder status.
“We knew MW3 was going to be big and we planned for a big demand, it’s just the infrastructure is struggling to keep up with volume,”
“We did a beta, the beta was intended to give us the data on how everything would behave with people hitting different parts of the service and different parts of the site. But when you add the complexities of it being not only an online service but one that has a console component, a PC component, and a soon-to-be-released mobile component, all being released at the same time, it’s never been done before at this scale,”
“From the planning standpoint, we planned for it to be big. It’s Call of Duty, we have all our metrics. We know what our metrics are from Black Ops and MW2 and all the previous Call of Dutys, so we were planning for it to be big. But we just literally had so much influx right now from all the different areas, from the console and the web. It just hit us a lot harder than we thought.”
Normally these statements are keen to reassure us that things will be up and running shortly and that there’s no need for us to worry. Suarez, however, merely adds that they, “don’t have a definitive goal to have everything up by this date,” and that they, “just don’t have that data yet.”
Activision also released the following FAQ to address the full extent of problems users are experiencing:
I can’t login to ELITE.
Due to overwhelming response, our servers are overburdened. We’ve fixed the registration process, but logging into the web service or the new ELITE console application remains an issue. We have added more servers and are building a queuing process to allow more users into the service.
If you experience a delay, please be patient. Don’t refresh. We are queuing users, so don’t refresh. If you do, you could risk your place in line and be required to wait longer.
I can log in, but nothing is happening.
We’re on it. We’ve added more servers and are implementing some key changes over the next couple weeks to alleviate the demand on the servers, giving all of our players the right experience with ELITE. We appreciate your patience as we make those critical improvements.
ELITE seems to be running very slow.
Most likely this is all related to the same issue of our servers being overloaded. As we implement new updates and hardware you should see performance improve to acceptable levels.
My password isn’t recognized.
Previously players were getting a message claiming their password was not correct. However, this was really tied to the registration and login system overload. If you are still receiving this message upon login and have retried, please reset your password.
How can I reset my password?
If you have forgotten your Call of Duty ELITE password you can request to have it reset by going to: https://profile.callofduty.com/p/forgotpassword.act.
I completed registration, but now I get an error message saying my account is linked to another account.
This may be due to your email being linked to an old account. If you were in the ELITE beta then your email may still be associated with the old account. Please see THISpage for more information. If you think you do have an old account you can try recovering your password for it. You can request to have it reset by going to :https://profile.callofduty.com/p/forgotpassword.act. Once you reset the password you can login to your profile with your email address.
If you need to you can just create a new account with a different email address. Once you do this you should try to link your gamertag or PSN ID to this new account.
I provided the wrong email address during registration, how can I reset my email address?
Try creating a new account. Go to https://profile.callofduty.com/p/register.act?elite=true and create a new account with a new email address. See if you can link your gamertag or PSN ID to this new account. If after doing this you get an error saying that your gamertag or PSN ID is linked to another account, then please clickHERE to contact our support team. We will do our best to resolve this issue for you.
ELITE is telling me I need to upgrade even though I’ve activated my code.
This issue occurs when you purchase the ELITE premium upgrade via the ELITE console app on Xbox 360. You can still use the premium features on your console. We are aware of this issue and are currently taking steps to haveit resolved as quickly as possible. Until then, if you want to use any of the premium features of ELITE you must use the console app instead of the website. We apologize for any inconvenience.
I’ve entered my ELITE code, but it doesn’t work.
Try typing in the code again. Accidentally mistyping the key code numbers and letters is responsible for most key code problems. What may look like an I(i) could really be a l(L) or 1. You may also want to allow the servers time to refresh due to the high volume of people accessing the site.
Try downloading and installing the console version of Call of Duty ELITE. Once the console app is installed try redeeming the code again. If you are on an Xbox 360 please make sure that you have an active Gold Live Membership. You may get an invalid code message if you only have a Silver level account. If after trying all troubleshooting options you find that you are still having this issue, please clickHERE to submit and incident to us, and we will be able to help you find a solution.
If I’m having trouble logging in, will I still be a Founder?
Yes. Becoming a Founder is simple. Once you have successfully redeemed your Call of Duty: ELITE membership token on Xbox Live Marketplace or the PlayStation Store, or have purchased directly within either console, all you need to do is log in once and play a multiplayer game in MW3. You are all set at that point. Logging into the game after purchasing activates your Founder status automatically.
What about my stats?
All of your gameplay stats are secure, regardless of when or if you ever choose to log in to Call of Duty ELITE. All Call of Duty gameplay stats history are stored in a completely different database separate from the ELITE service. Whenever you log in to ELITE, the entire history of your MW3, and Black Ops, gameplay stats will be available to you.
What is happening with my Founder’s status entitlements?
The studio teams are investigating this issue, and we will report back soon with an update. Getting all Founders their MW3 in-game benefits is a priority to us.
Are you offering anything to premium members due to the server load issues?
Yes. For all Founders, we are automatically extending your premium membership by an extra30 days. We will ensure that all premium members get their full year of service and content.
Will I get my Double XP for registering via the ELITE console app?
Yes. The team is implementing this fix ASAP and we will report back when this goes live.
When will you launch the mobile app?
Since we do not want to add even more stress to the back-end servers, we are holding back on launching the ELITE mobile applications until the service is stable and our players can easily access it. We will have the apps ready to launch as soon as we are comfortable the experience will be a great one, and will update with more information soon.
Are both the free and premium services of ELITE impacted by this issue?
Yes. All ELITE services share the same login and data infrastructure, and are equally impacted by the capacity issues.
I can’t access all of ELITE’s features through the console app.
In order to reduce the strain on the back-end from the tremendous consumer reaction to the console app, we are limiting the number of features available at this time to alleviate that strain on the service and provide our team the flexibility to add more servers and update the systems to accommodate the full application.
I can’t pull up leaderboards on Xbox 360. Is this related to ELITE?
This issue is specific to ELITE. We have identified the issue and hope to have it resolved quickly.
When do you expect the service to be working?
We are making fixes daily and working around the clock to ensure as many members as possible can enjoy the service. This is not going to happen overnight, but something that we are working over the course of the next several days.
Are you giving ELITE premium members access ahead of free users?
All Users are being prioritized into queues to help reduce server load as we work to improve the system. Depending on demand, prioritization of premium members may occur.
Will I hear about service updates while I’m actively using Elite? What about updates via email?
Yes, both. We will begin to email registered users with Elite status updates soon, and we will communicate update information with users in-service as well.
Can you use the ELITE premium services in territories not supported by Xbox Live or the PSN Network?
Because the ELITE premium service is linked to your Xbox Live and PSN Network account, you may not be able to use the ELITE subscription services in territories that are not officially supported by those gaming networks.
I don’t have access to Elite because of the age gating within the service, what is being done to address this?
We are aware that some users have been denied entry into the service once they have input their age. We recognize that in regions around the world player age requirements vary. We are happy to say that we have identified some solutions to this issue. Our team is working on the technical changes required, and we expect to announce the details soon on this change. Meanwhile, if you purchased MW3 and were not able to register for Call of Duty ELITE, we wanted to make you aware of this pending change, and we thank you for your patience.
What has your experience with Call of Duty Elite been like? Let us know in the comments or join our community in the forums!