Report - Call of Duty Elite is both free and subs-based

The mysterious Call of Duty Elite is reported to be a premium platform for online services above and beyond the standard Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer package.

The Wall Street Journal reports Call of Duty Elite will not replace the game's traditional multiplayer offering, but serve as an enhancement.

Activision community manager Dan Amrich has confirmed the basic Call of Duty Elite service will be free, Confusingly, some of the service's offerings are said to be free, including Facebook-like social elements for arranging matches. It will also supply players with metrics and analysis tools in order to assess - and hopefully learn from - their performance in-game.

For those willing to pony up, the service, billed monthly, will offer exclusive premium content such as new multiplayer maps. No pricing details were given, but Activision is said to be targeting the sweet spot of "comparable" online services like Netflix, which runs to $7.99 per month.

Activision leader Bobby Kotick apparently said the service is an "enormous investment", thanks to the associated running costs.

We've contacted Activision and are awaiting comment. The Wall Street Journal is rumoured to have broken embargo, so keep an eye out for official word over the next few hours.

Activision has commented multiple times that it has sought some way to "monetise" Call of Duty's phenomenally popular multiplayer side, and outed an upcoming online initiative during an investor call earlier in the month.

The unannounced service was said to be in development at Beachhead Studios for two years.

Call of Duty: modern Warfare 3 is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 before the end of the year, with a major reveal at E3.